Some Other Me
by GleefulAngel
Summary: AU: What if Shelby and Hiram had had Rachel when they were in college? What if Shelby had always been in Rachel's life? What if Rachel had grown up with three loving parents? Would Rachel be a different person now? The story begins in the Pilot episode and will follow Rachel's journey throughout High School.
1. Prologue

**A/N - Hello everyone! I've started writing a new story. After Glee ended, I started watching the first season again and this idea came to my head. How would life be different for Rachel if Shelby had always been in her life? What if Shelby and Hiram had had Rachel together? This story will explore how the show would've been different had Shelby been around. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Don't worry, I will still be updating Finding a Way Home.**

**Disclamer - I don't own Glee. The whole concept belongs to Ryan Murphy.**

**PROLOGUE**

**December 18****th****, 1994**

Shelby's dream had always been leaving Lima and becoming a star. Ever since she was ten years old, she had talked nonstop about making it big on Broadway and being known all around the world. She didn't want to be a Lima loser and she had informed her parents she would leave the city as soon as she finished High School. But the summer before her senior year, everything changed. She met Hiram Berry and she fell head over heels in love. He was everything she'd always wanted in a boyfriend. He was sweet, kind and respectful, but the one thing she liked the most was that he was as passionate about musicals as she was. He was familiar with every show on Broadway and they could spend hours talking about actors, producers and songs. They would spend every afternoon and every weekend together, and even though her dream of becoming a star was still latent, her love for Hiram was stronger.

Right after Shelby graduated from High School, she went to Ohio State University, where she studied Theater while Hiram did a degree in Business. They moved in together and soon became the couple everyone envied. They were still too young to talk about spending their life with one another, but they were forced to plan a future together one evening in March when Shelby found out she was pregnant.

"Oh Shelby, she's beautiful." Hiram said, as he looked at his newborn daughter with adoring eyes.

"Can you believe you and I made such a perfect little girl?" Shelby whispered, as she held her baby daughter in her arms.

"She looks just like you, Shelbs." Hiram added, smiling.

Shelby smiled back at her boyfriend and kissed her daughter softly on the head. "I love you Rachel Barbra."

"Rachel Barbra …" Hiram repeated and then looked at his girlfriend with questioning eyes as he uttered the next word. "Berry?"

Shelby smiled and nodded. "Welcome to the world, Rachel Barbra Berry. I am your mom and that handsome man there is your dad. We love you so much."

…

**February, 1997**

"Where's Rachel?" Hiram asked when he saw Shelby on the couch watching an episode of Friends. That was their favorite show and the reason why they had named their daughter Rachel.

"It's 10pm, Hiram." Shelby replied in an annoyed tone. "Your daughter is already in bed."

"I wanted to read her a story." Hiram said, disappointed.

"Then, you should've arrived earlier. Where were you?" Shelby inquired. "And don't tell me you had to work late, Hiram. I called your office and they told me you'd gone home at 7."

For the last three months, Shelby and Hiram hardly spoke to each other, except when it came to Rachel. Both parents adored their little girl and she was the one who kept them together. But their constant fighting was taking a toll on them and Rachel was starting to notice their parents had stopped being civil to one another.

"I had to meet a client after work. You know that there is some business I cannot do at the office." Hiram replied.

"Tell me the truth, Hiram!" Shelby demanded, raising her voice slightly. She didn't want to wake up their toddler, but she was tired of her boyfriend's excuses and lies. "Are you seeing another woman?"

"How can you say that? You know Rachel and you are the only women in my life." Hiram replied, shocked at the accusation. "And you will always be the only women I will ever love."

"Then, what's going on? What's happening to us? If you are not seeing another woman, where do you go after you leave the office?" Shelby asked, shaking with frustration.

"Shelby, I …" Hiram sighed and took Shelby's hands. He was also tired of making up excuses and he loved Shelby and Rachel so much that he knew they deserved the truth. "I promise I haven't been seeing another woman, but I have been meeting up with someone …"

Shelby furrowed her brows as she looked at Hiram. "Who is it?"

"His name is Leroy." Hiram finally confessed.

"So you've been meeting up with a friend every night to drink a beer and watch some sports while I am here raising our daughter?" Shelby asked, angry at Hiram's confession.

"Shelby, he is not just a friend." Hiram said, looking straight into Shelby's eyes apologizing with his own eyes. "We … He and I … Shelby, I am …"

Shelby opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was shocked. She started thinking about Hiram's passion for musical theater and his wonderful sense of fashion, and how she should have guessed it, but she never did. Never did it cross her mind that he might not be interested in women. She shook her head, letting Hiram continue. But when he did not utter another word, she sighed and as poised as she could, she said, "You are gay."

"I am so sorry, Shelby. I never meant to hurt you or Rachel, I just ..." Hiram said, with tears in his eyes. "Please forgive me."

…

**December 18****th****, 1997**

Shelby walked into her daughter's room and smiled as she saw her little girl sleeping peacefully, holding a pink monkey. Rachel's curly hair sprawled across the pillow and she had a smile on her face. Shelby was glad Rachel was having nice dreams. She glanced at her watch and counted backwards from five to one. She knew her little girl would be opening her eyes at exactly 7:03, just like she did every morning.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Shelby said when the clock struck 7:03am. She sat down on the little girl's bed and started singing, "_Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, my sweet Rachel. Happy birthday to you"._

"Mommy! I'm a big girl!" Rachel said, standing on the bed and jumping up and down.

"Hey, hey, big girl, we don't jump on the bed." Shelby reprimanded in a sweet voice as she caught Rachel mid jump and started tickling her.

Rachel laughed as loudly as she ever had and Shelby was sure that laughter had to be the most beautiful sound in the world. She wouldn't exchange being a mother for anything. Not even for a hundred Tony awards.

"Mama, stop!" Rachel demanded between giggles.

"Okay. What does my birthday girl want for breakfast?" Shelby asked.

"Chocolate cake!" Rachel said with a wide smile.

"We don't have any chocolate cake, I'm afraid." Shelby replied.

Rachel pouted and sighed. Even at three years old, she had a dramatic flair and Shelby knew she had to change the topic before her daughter demanded they went to a bakery shop and get some chocolate cake.

"I can make chocolate chip pancakes. You love those!" Shelby said, smiling. "And daddy will bring you some cake later."

"Daddy?" Rachel asked, looking around. "Daddy here?"

"He isn't here yet, sweetie. But he's coming later with Leroy to celebrate your birthday." Shelby explained.

Rachel scrunched her nose and shook her head. "No Lewoy!"

After Hiram confessed he was in love with Leroy, Shelby and he agreed to break up amicably for the sake of Rachel. They knew that even though they hadn't worked as a couple, they had to make it work because they both shared a precious thing: the love for their little girl. At first, it had been difficult for Shelby to accept that there was another person in Hiram's life, but he looked so happy that she eventually became happy for him. They started including Leroy in their family gatherings four months after their separation and they did their best to make Rachel see that despite mommy and daddy not living in the same house anymore, she was still their top priority, but the little girl was still finding it hard to accept sometimes that Leroy was there to stay. She had her moments when she enjoyed having him around, since he spoiled her and her pout worked wonderfully on him, but on special occasions such as her birthday, she wanted mommy and daddy for herself.

"I'm sure he'll bring a present." Shelby said.

Rachel looked at her mom for a moment as she planned her next move. She did love getting presents and she had mentioned she wanted a new house for her dolls … "He can give pressie and then go bye bye!"

Shelby chuckled as she took her daughter's hand. "Let's go have some breakfast."

Rachel played most of the morning while Shelby got the house ready for the little party in the afternoon.

"Rach, daddy's here!" Shelby said, as she went into the living room where her little girl was playing with her dolls.

Rachel looked up and smiled. "Daddy!"

"How's my baby?" Hiram asked, lifting Rachel in his arms.

"I'm a big girl now, daddy!" Rachel replied, as she looked over Hiram's shoulder to see if Leroy had in fact brought any presents. "That for me?"

Leroy was carrying a large box with a big pink bow. "It is indeed, Miss Rachel. Happy birthday!"

"Yay! Daddy, down!" Rachel ordered.

Hiram was about to do what Rachel had demanded when he noticed Shelby shaking her head.

"Daddy, down!" Rachel said again, this time more forcefully.

Shelby noticed Hiram had no idea what was going on, so she stepped up and looked at Rachel. "Ask your daddy nicely."

"Down, daddy, please." Rachel said sweetly and Hiram set her back on her feet as soon as Shelby nodded in approval.

Rachel ran to Leroy's side and try to snatch the box from him. "That's mine!"

"Do you want me to help you open it?" Leroy asked, still unsure about how to interact with the little girl.

"No!" Rachel said, forcefully.

"Rachel, I know it's your birthday and you're excited, but you need to be polite." Shelby said in a serious tone.

Rachel was too busy trying to open her present to really pay attention to her mother. "The house I wanted! Thank you, daddy!"

"You're welcome, princess. You need to thank Leroy as well." Hiram said.

"Thanks, Lewoy. You can go now." Rachel said. "Bye, bye."

Shelby gave Leroy an apologetically look, and then said, "How about if we have some cake?"

"Chocolate?" Rachel asked, as she tried to decide if it was worth standing up.

"Of course, princess. I know it's your favorite!" Hiram said, smiling.

"Yummy!" Rachel shouted as she approached the table and climbed on a chair. "It's all mine!"

Shelby walked to the living room with her camera just in time to stop Rachel from taking a big chunk of cake with her hands. "No, sweetie. Hold on! Let's take some pictures."

There was only one thing Rachel liked more than chocolate cake and that was having her picture taken. "Yay, yes! Mommy, I want a picture with daddy and you!"

Hiram sat next to Rachel and Shelby sat on the opposite side. After the picture was taken, Shelby turned to look at Leroy. "Leroy, why don't you get in the picture too?"

As soon as Leroy was standing next to Rachel, the little girl pushed him and she glared at him. "No! Lewoy, go!"

"Rachel …" Shelby said in a warning tone. "Apologize to Leroy for pushing him."

"No!" Rachel said, climbing down the chair and kicking Leroy on the leg. "Go!"

"Rachel, that's enough!" Shelby said, raising her voice. "You are being very rude. Apologize to Leroy now."

The little girl crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I want cake!"

"You are not getting any cake if you don't apologize to Leroy." Shelby threatened.

Rachel sighed and as angry as she was, she knew she had to choose her battles. "I'm sowwy, Lewoy."

"It's okay, Rachel." Leroy replied, smiling.

"Let's have some cake then!" Shelby announced, smiling and hoping Rachel wouldn't have to be told off again.

Rachel was given a small piece of chocolate and was enjoying the treat when she noticed Leroy had also been given a piece of cake. With her little hands full of chocolate, she stood up again and took the cake from Leroy's plate. "My cake!"

"Rachel! Enough!" Shelby yelled. She didn't want to discipline her daughter on her birthday, but she realized she couldn't make any exceptions. She had to be consistent. "I don't know where that attitude is coming from, but it stops now!"

Shelby took Rachel by the hand and led her to the corner. "Three minutes, Rachel."

"No!" Rachel said, stomping her foot. She thought it was unfair that Leroy was getting her in trouble.

"Rachel, face the wall now!" Shelby said. "You are going to stand there for three minutes and then you are going to apologize to Leroy again."

Rachel started crying as she waited for her timeout to be over. Every sob broke Hiram's heart and Leroy was feeling very guilty and was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Shelby, look at her. She's sorry." Hiram pleaded. "She's just a kid."

"No, Hiram. She was very disrespectful. I know it's hard to hear her crying and sobbing, but we are her parents and it's our job to teach her right from wrong." Shelby said. Her heart was also breaking at the sound of her daughter's crying, but she knew she had to be strong. "And it's three minutes."

"Shelby, this is my fault …" Leroy started to say, but was interrupted by Shelby.

"No, it's not, Leroy. She needs to be respectful and she knows that." Shelby explained as she walked towards her daughter. "Rach, baby, come here."

Rachel pouted as she walked into her mom's arms. "I'm sowwy, mommy."

"Do you understand why you were in timeout?" Shelby asked.

Rachel shrugged as she glanced at Leroy.

"You were very rude to Leroy. He came here to celebrate your birthday with you, and he brought you this amazing gift and still, you were very disrespectful." Shelby explained. "I want you to apologize to him and then to your daddy. He was also very sad because you were rude to Leroy."

"You were sad, daddy?" Rachel asked with wide eyes.

"I was, princess." Hiram said. "I love Leroy and I want you two to get along."

"I'm sowwy, daddy!" Rachel said lunging into his arms, and then looking at Leroy, she said, "And I'm sowwy, Lewoy."

"You are forgiven, Miss Rachel." Leroy replied.

"We have cake now?" Rachel asked, suddenly forgetting about everything that had happened in the last five minutes.

…

**July, 2000**

"Why can't you go with us?" Rachel asked for the hundredth time. Hiram had called the day before to say they had tickets to see Disney on Ice and Rachel hadn't stopped talking about it, but she didn't understand why her mom couldn't join them.

"Your dad was only able to get three tickets, Rach." Shelby explained. "And he and Leroy want to spend some time with you."

"But you are going to miss Snow White! And Cinderella! And Belle!" Rachel said with an urgent tone in her voice.

"I would love to go, honey, but just like you and I do things together without daddy, now he wants to take you to the show by himself." Shelby said.

"Leroy is going." Rachel replied.

"I know, but Leroy is your dad's partner, and he also wants to spend some time with you." Shelby said.

In the last few years, she had noticed how open Rachel had become towards Hiram and Leroy's relationship. Rachel no longer had a problem with Leroy and she actually enjoyed spending time with him.

Rachel was about to protest again when the bell rang.

"They're here!" Rachel said, running to open the door.

"Ask who it is, Rach!" Shelby instructed.

"It's daddy and Leroy, mom!" Rachel answered in a tone that denoted she was annoyed with the order.

Shelby shook her head and was about to scold Rachel when the little girl opened the door and jumped to her father's arms.

"Hi daddy!" Rachel said, smiling.

"How are you today, princess?" Hiram asked.

"I'm very excited!" Rachel replied. "Hi, Leroy!"

"Hello, peanut." Leroy replied, smiling. "Good morning, Shelby."

Shelby returned the greeting and then walked to Hiram's side. "Good morning, Hiram."

Hiram gave Shelby a one arm hug as he was still holding Rachel and smiled sweetly at Shelby. Even though they were no longer a couple, they had a long history together and they were very good friends. Never had there been an awkward moment between them after their separation. They still loved each other, even when it wasn't a romantic kind of love.

"Are you ready to go?" Hiram asked the girl in his arms.

Rachel bounced and nodded. "I can't wait to meet Cinderella! Will she be wearing her blue gown? I love that gown. Daddy, can I have a dress just like hers? I am not blonde, but I would look so pretty. Don't you think I'd look pretty?"

"You'd be the most beautiful princess in the world." Hiram replied, looking adoringly at his daughter.

Shelby chuckled at the scene. Rachel had both Hiram and Leroy wrapped around her little finger, and while she thought it was cute, she didn't want Rachel to be spoiled.

"You already have Belle's dress." Shelby said.

"But I want Cinderella's, mommy!" Rachel replied.

"You might get it for your birthday." Shelby explained.

Rachel huffed and looked at Leroy. "I won't have to wait til my birthday, right?"

Shelby glared at Leroy as she dared him to contradict her.

"We'll see, peanut." Leroy replied, getting nervous at the way Shelby was looking at him.

"Okay, you'd better go or you'll be late." Shelby said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Rachel, behave. And you guys, you'd better not buy her the complete store. She has many toys, she doesn't need more."

Hiram nodded and leaned over to kiss Shelby on the cheek. "Don't worry, we can say no."

Rachel was enthralled with the show. She hardly blinked so she wouldn't miss anything. She was fascinated by all the princesses on skates and their singing voices. When the show ended, she stood up and clapped and praised the skaters. Everyone around her was smiling as they looked at the little girl.

"That was amazing! I loved Ariel! But how was she able to skate if she was a mermaid? Did you see she had a tail? How come Belle and Snow White knew each other? Can we see the show again?" Rachel asked full of excitement.

"I am glad you enjoyed it." Hiram said. His heart filled with joy and love as he listened to his daughter speak.

"Can I have a crown?" Rachel asked, pointing at the merchandise stand. "And that mouse from Cinderella?"

By the time they walked away from the stand, Hiram and Leroy were each carrying two bags of things while Rachel was wearing a crown and was staring at her new Gus.

"Shelby is going to kill us when she sees how many things we've bought Rachel." Hiram told Leroy. They had spent over 200 dollars on Disney merchandise.

"We can keep some things at our place." Leroy replied, winking at him and then at Rachel when she nodded in agreement. "I had a great time today, peanut."

"Me too! Thank you, daddy!" Rachel said, smiling at Hiram and then she added, "Thank you, da-Leroy!"

Hiram looked at Rachel and then at Leroy. Had Rachel wanted to say what he thought she was going to say?

"Princess, what were you going to call Leroy just now?" Hiram asked.

Rachel shrugged and blushed. She really liked Leroy and she could tell her daddy loved him. She could no longer think of Hiram without Leroy, but she wasn't sure why she was about to call her dad.

"I'd be honored." Leroy said. "I love you, peanut."

"Really?" Rachel asked with some uncertainty in her voice. "Daddy, you won't be mad if I call Leroy dad?"

"Why would I be angry, princess? We both love you so much and Leroy here would love to be your dad." Hiram explained, full of pride.

Rachel considered her dad's words for a moment and then smiled. "I love you, daddy! And I love you … dad."

…

**May, 2003**

"Rachel, what are you doing? It's time to go." Shelby said, walking into her daughter's room.

"I'm ready, mommy." Rachel replied. She smiled at her mom as she grabbed a small pink suitcase with wheels.

"What do you have there, Rach?" Shelby asked, pointing at the suitcase with her head.

"It's a surprise. Daddy and dad are going to love it!" Rachel said in an excited tone of voice.

Shelby gave her daughter a quizzical look as she worried about Rachel's surprise. The nine year old girl had a great imagination and Shelby was concerned about what she was planning. Last time Rachel had planned a surprise for her parents, Shelby had ended up cleaning a very messy kitchen while Hiram tried to remove grape jelly from the ceiling. Rachel had prepared lunch for her parents and since she wasn't allowed to use the stove, she had made toast. Shelby was still wondering how Rachel had managed to make such a big mess and how that jelly had reached the ceiling.

"I can keep a secret." Shelby said, coaxing her daughter into telling her what the surprise was. "I promise I won't tell your dads."

Rachel shook her head as she pulled her little suitcase. "I'm ready to go, mommy."

As they were driving to Hiram's house, Shelby tried to persuade Rachel into spilling the secret but the little girl wouldn't budge. She knew her daughter had a big heart, but she was afraid the excitement over her dads' wedding had made her do something inappropriate for the occasion.

As soon as they arrived in the house, they were welcomed by Leroy who seemed to be running like a chicken with its head cut off.

"You and Rachel can get changed in the guest room. Hiram is in our room and refuses to come out. He doesn't want me to see him." Leroy said.

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"He says it's bad luck. But I thought that only applied to the groom seeing his bride." Leroy explained.

"Can I see him?" Rachel asked, running towards the stairs.

Shelby grabbed her by the hood of her sweater and said, "Hold on. You can see daddy later. We need to get ready. You need to change into your dress and I need to do your hair."

"Dad, did you write your vows? I heard at school that vows are really important. You need to tell daddy how much you love him." Rachel said.

"I did, peanut." Leroy said, smiling.

Rachel nodded, satisfied with the answer and then walked to the guest room with her mom.

It took Shelby and Rachel about an hour to be ready. Shelby was glad they had gone there with so much time to spare. Her daughter was very excited about the wedding and hadn't stopped moving around and asking questions, so doing her hair had proved to be a very difficult task.

When Hiram and Leroy were ready, Rachel held their hand and walked down the aisle with them. Everyone was snapping pictures with some disposable cameras the two men had given their guests and even though Rachel knew everyone was there to celebrate her dads' marriage, she loved the attention she was getting.

"Thank you, princess." Hiram said, giving Rachel a kiss on her head.

The ceremony was short and intimate. Only Hiram and Leroy's closest friends and family were there. Same sex marriage wasn´t legal in Ohio, but the couple wanted to officially become spouses in front of their loved ones, even when it wasn't official in the eyes of the law. Both men said their vows as they did their best not to cry. As soon as they kissed, Rachel stood up and ran towards the men to be included in the hugs.

"Mommy, I need to get ready for my surprise." Rachel whispered after she had finished her dinner.

"Let me come with you." Shelby said, wanting to know what Rachel was doing beforehand.

"No, I need to do this by myself." Rachel said in a serious tone, as she walked from the garden to the house.

Rachel made sure she had everything ready before heading back to the garden. She had a big smile on her face as she walked past her mom and her two dads. She walked up to the small stage that had been set up and turned the microphone on.

"Hello. My name is Rachel Barbra Berry and I have a surprise for daddy and dad." Rachel said, setting her little pink cassette player on a table and pushing play. As soon as the music started, she began to sing.

_Somewhere over the rainbow way up high_

_There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby_

_Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue_

_And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true_

Rachel's voice was the only sound in the garden. Everyone was hypnotized by the young girl's voice. Even at nine years old, Rachel could carry a tune like a professional singer.

_Someday I'll wish upon a star_

_And wake up where the clouds are far behind me_

_Where troubles melt like lemon drops_

_Away above the chimney tops_

_That's where you'll find me_

Hiram and Leroy were both mesmerized by their daughter's voice. Hiram felt a tear rolling down his face as he glanced over at Shelby who also had tears in her eyes.

_Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly_

_Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh, why can't I?_

_If happy little bluebirds fly_

_Beyond the rainbow why, oh, why can't I?_

When Rachel hit the final note, everyone stood up and clapped. Shelby couldn't believe she had spent the whole morning trying to make sure Rachel didn't do anything inappropriate. Never did she imagine her daughter had prepared such a wonderful and beautiful surprise.

Rachel beamed with pride as everyone clapped and praised her on her performance.

"Daddy, dad, did you like it?" Rachel asked.

"Did we like it? We loved it! That was the best gift someone could ever give us." Hiram said, hugging his daughter. "Thank you so much, princess."

"I never thought this day could get any more perfect, but it did. Thank you so much, peanut." Leroy added.

"I love you, daddies." Rachel said and then turned to look at Shelby. "I love you, mommy. I have the best family!"


	2. On my Own

**PRESENT DAY 2009**

Rachel was in her bedroom, standing in front of the camera ready to start her performance of the night. Every night, she uploaded to Myspace a video of herself singing. She lived in Lima, Ohio and she figured the only way she could be discovered by a big Broadway producer was if she showcased her talent on the social network every day.

_On my own_

_Pretending he's beside me_

_All alone_

_I walk with him till morning_

Shelby couldn't believe their summer break had gone so fast. In less than 12 hours, she would be at work and Rachel would be starting her sophomore year. It was already 9:30pm and she could hear Rachel was still singing in her room, so Shelby was on her way to tell her daughter it was time to go to bed. She knocked on Rachel's bedroom door, but when she received no answer, she let herself in.

"Rach, it's time to start getting ready for bed." Shelby said.

"Mom! You just ruined my performance!" Rachel told Shelby, shaking her head.

"You can continue singing tomorrow. Come on, turn off that camera." Shelby directed.

"I cannot go to bed until I have uploaded this performance on Myspace. My fans will miss me if there is no performance tonight." Rachel explained.

"I'm sure they will survive." Shelby said, chuckling. "Come on, it's time to brush your teeth and change into your pajamas. Now that school is starting, your bedtime is 10 again."

"Mom, I'm already 14. I shouldn't have a bedtime." Rachel replied. "None of my classmates do."

"I'm sure some of your classmates do have a bedtime." Shelby said. "But even if they didn't, that does not matter. You are my daughter and in this house, you do have one."

Rachel sighed and looked at her mom with pleading eyes. "I'll go to bed immediately after I finish my song."

Shelby shook her head. "I know how long it takes you to do one of those videos. Come on, you can finish it tomorrow. I'll come back in fifteen minutes and you'd better be in your sleepwear ready to go to bed."

"Ugh!" Rachel said, stomping her foot. "You just don't understand!"

Shelby counted to ten in her head and sat on her daughter's bed. "Come sit down and explain to me why this video is so important."

"I need to keep my talent alive and growing. Nowadays, being anonymous is worse than being poor." Rachel explained. "Fame is the most important thing in our culture now. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that no one's just going to hand it to you."

"And you will be famous one day, Rach. You are very talented and I am sure you will become that Broadway star you've always dreamed of being." Shelby said, glancing at Rachel's pink board that had several playbills. "But you cannot let that thirst for fame rule your whole life. You are still a teenager, enjoy these years. Be a kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore, mom!" Rachel said annoyed.

"Well, you are my kid and as much as I love listening to you sing, it's now quarter to ten and you need to go to sleep." Shelby said. "Fifteen minutes, Rachel."

Rachel knew she had lost the battle this time, so, reluctantly, she walked over to the camera and turned it off. She would have to upload that song the next day. She went into the bathroom to start her extensive nightly beauty routine and changed into her pink heart pajamas. By the time her mom walked into the bedroom to wish her a good night, Rachel was lying in bed.

"Sweet dreams, honey." Shelby said, giving Rachel a kiss on her head.

…

Just like every morning, Rachel woke up at 6am to do her morning workout on the elliptical. The workout helped her focus and gain strength to start the day. As she did her daily routine, she focused on a photograph of Barbra Streisand and a picture of a gold star. Rachel knew one day, she'll be as big as Barbra.

"Rach! Breakfast is ready!" Shelby called from the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, Rachel appeared in the kitchen wearing a white blouse, a black and yellow plaid skirt, yellow knee socks and black penny loafers. Shelby wasn't sure who Rachel had gotten her fashion sense or her lack of fashion sense from, but she was sure it hadn't been from her.

"I will only be having some orange juice this morning, mom." Rachel said, drinking a sip from the glass on the table. "I need to get to school early today. The first day is very important and I need to make sure I know where every class is."

"This is your second year at McKinley, honey." Shelby said, confused about Rachel's haste that morning.

"There is something I need to do before I start my sophomore year." Rachel said, finishing her juice and looking at her mom. "I'm ready when you're ready."

Shelby finished her coffee, grabbed an apple for the road and took her purse. "Let's go."

…

Rachel walked with purpose and determination to Principal Figgins' office. She had been part of Sandy Ryerson's Glee club during her freshman year and she felt her talent was not appreciated. She was constantly arguing with the teacher about why she was the best singer in the group and everyone just had to sway behind her, but Sandy had ignored her during the whole year. The straw that had broken the camel's back was when Sandy had given Hank Saunders the solo Rachel deserved.

Rachel took a deep breath and let some fake tears roll down her cheeks before she went into the principal's office. "Principal Figgins, something terrible has happened."

"Ah, Miss Berry, why do you look so sad on your first day?" Figgins asked in a thick Indian accent.

"I don't know how to say this, but Mr. Ryerson has crossed the line." Rachel explained, getting more tears into her eyes. "He was touching Hank, caressing him. It was so wrong!"

Figgins remained undisturbed as he handed Rachel a tissue to dab her tears. "I shall speak to him, Miss Berry."

Rachel nodded and wiped away her tears as she made her way out of the office. Once she was outside, she smiled. She was hoping her plan had worked.

…

Rachel walked down the hallways of McKinley alone. She was hoping she would make some friends that year, but she knew her chances were slim. She was a star and some people took it personally when she announced that she was better than them. Nobody talked to her other than to call her names. Nobody looked at her direction unless they were laughing at her. And nobody ever walked towards her with a smile unless they had a slushie in their hand.

"Go back to pre-school, midget!" Karofsky said as he threw a freezing purple drink in her face.

Rachel clenched her fists to stop herself from crying and walked into the girls' restroom to clean herself up. She leaned over the sink to wash her face and then did her best to remove the slushie from her hair. She knew she'd have to take a shower later, but she didn't want to go into the showers at school, because Sue had made it clear they were Cheerios territory.

"You are a star." Rachel told herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"You are a freak." Santana said, coming out of one of the stalls. "Nice hair, loser!"

Rachel's first day was not going as she had pictured it in her head. And it wasn't even third period yet.

…

William Schuester walked into the teacher's lounge after his Spanish lesson. He had always wanted to become a teacher and make a difference in young people, but he wasn't sure how teaching a language he didn't even know was going to do that.

"I don't know how to inspire these kids." Will said, seating at Emma's table.

"Did you hear that Sandy Ryerson got fired?" Emma asked.

"Really? Well, who's going to take over Glee Club?" Will inquired.

"I don't know." Emma replied.

"I need to see Figgins." Will said, standing up and leaving the lounge in a hurry.

Mr. Schuester had been in Glee Club when the club at McKinley was in its glory days. The best experiences he had had in High School had been as part of the glee club and he was sure he could inspire students with the sense of solidarity and camaraderie they got from being part of the club.

"I'd like to take over Glee Club." Will announced as he walked into Figgins' office.

"You want to captain the Titanic, too?" Figgins asked, mocking the Spanish teacher.

"I think I can make it great again. There is no joy in these kids. They feel invisible." Will explained with passion and excitement in his voice. "That's why every one of them has a MySpace page."

"Sixty bucks a month. That's what I need to keep this program up." Figgins said, bored about having that discussion with William.

"And you expect me to pay it?" Will asked, in shock. There was no way he could hide sixty dollars from Terri every month.

"I'm certainly not going to pay for it. We're not talking about Cheerios here, Will. They were on Fox Sports Net last year." Figgins explained. "When Glee Club starts bringing that kind of prestige to the school again, you can have all the money you want. Until then, sixty bucks a month. And you've got to use the costumes and props you already have. But we need the stools for wood shop."

William took a deep breath and shook the principal's hand. "You've got yourself a deal."

…

"My name is Eve Harrison and I will be in charge of Chemistry this year." Ms. Harrison said, introducing herself to the students even though she had taught some students at McKinley during their freshman year. "You will have a lab partner with whom you will be working throughout the year, so choose well. Your success in this class will depend on how well you can work together."

Every student started looking around the classroom, trying to find someone to pair up with. Once everyone had found a partner, there were only two people left. They looked at each other and grimaced.

"It looks like Miss Berry and Mr. Hummel will be working together." Eve said. "The first assignment of the course …"

Ms. Harrison was interrupted by the petite girl raising her hand. "Excuse me, Ms. Harrison, you mentioned our success in this class depended on how well we could work with our partner. How can I be sure we can work well together if we barely know one another? We are not friends, we know nothing about each other and yet, we are being forced to work together. Don't you think that is ludicrous?"

"Miss Berry, you and Mr. Hummel were the only ones left and …" Eve tried to explain.

"Don't you think there is a reason for that?" Rachel asked. "I'd like to work alone."

"I would too." Kurt said. He couldn't imagine having to deal with Rachel's attitude and diva like ways all year.

"That is not an option. I am sorry, but you have to work together. Maybe you will become good friends." Ms. Harrison said.

"I doubt it." Kurt mumbled.

Rachel glared at Kurt and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was stuck with him for the rest of the year. There had to be something she could do.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Rachel had heard Sandy had been fired and that Will Schuester would be taking his place. She smiled at the thought of that. She felt very proud that her plan had worked so well.

…

Rachel spotted her mother's car in the parking lot at McKinley and waved at her mom.

"How was school today, honey?" Shelby asked smiling as soon as her daughter climbed into the car. Her smile soon turned into a frown when she saw Rachel's outfit covered in purple. "What happened to your outfit?"

Rachel looked down and started to panic. She had forgotten that slushie had stained her blouse due to the excitement of starting a new Glee club where she could be the star, but now, she knew she had to come up with a good excuse. "I was having some grape juice with my lunch and I spilled it."

Shelby stared her daughter trying to see if she was telling the truth, and when Rachel didn't flinch, her mom figured there had to be some truth in that. As soon as Shelby relaxed her posture, Rachel let out a breath of relief.

"So how was school? Did you have a good first day?" Shelby asked, starting the car.

"It was very interesting. My schedule looks very busy this year. I have joined some clubs and I cannot wait for Mr. Schuester to take over Glee club. I wonder what my first solo is going to be. I should suggest we start with Barbra." Rachel said, talking a mile a minute.

"Mr. Schuester? Isn't that your Spanish teacher?" Shelby asked. She was trying to keep up with everything her daughter was saying and she was proud to say that those twelve years of practice since Rachel had started saying full sentences were paying off.

"He is. I don't know if he can be called a Spanish teacher, though. I am almost sure he doesn't speak any Spanish and he just studies a few sentences every night to teach them to us. Today, we spent the whole class repeating the same dialogue." Rachel replied.

"But why is he taking over Glee club? What happened to Mr. Ryerson?" Shelby asked.

"Uh … I don't-I don't really know." Rachel said, playing with her hair.

The light had turned red just as Rachel uttered the last words and Shelby was able to look at her daughter. She noticed what Rachel was doing with her hair and she narrowed her eyes. She knew that was a telltale sign that her girl did know something.

"Is he teaching another class?" Shelby asked.

"I don't think so. I heard he was fired." Rachel replied, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to show.

"Fired? Was he in school today?" Shelby asked, as the light turned green and she continued driving the short distance to their house.

"I-I didn't see him. No." Rachel said. "But don't worry, mom, he wasn't that good."

"Still, I find this strange." Shelby added. "Last week we had the start of the year PTA and he was there. He said he would continue coaching Glee Club. How could he have been fired on the very first day?"

Rachel continued playing with her hair as she avoided having to answer to her mother. "I guess he did something wrong or inappropriate last year."

"Inappropriate? Like what?" Shelby asked, parking on the driveway.

"I don't know!" Rachel said, getting annoyed. As soon as the car was parked, she jumped out of the car and ran to the front door, pretending she had to use the bathroom. "Come on, mom, I really need to get inside."

Rachel's last answer, her sudden change in attitude and that familiar pretend dance made Shelby confirm her suspicions. Her daughter had had something to do with Sandy's sudden dismissal and she needed to find out how involved Rachel had really been.

Rachel thought her scheme had been perfect, but just like other times, her mouth had betrayed her. Now she knew she needed to find a way to make her mother forget about what they had just been talking about. She pretended to go into the bathroom and then, she went into her bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. As soon as she was done, she opened her backpack and took out her English notebook. She knew exactly how to make her mother forget about their previous conversation. After all, Shelby was an English professor at Rhodes State college and she loved being able to help Rachel with her homework.

"Can you believe we already have homework on the first day?" Rachel said, walking into the living room. "I need to choose a book from this list and make a presentation on it."

Shelby knew exactly what her daughter was doing and she chose to let her daughter think she was pulling one over her for the time being. She'd talk to Rachel about the other issue over dinner.

Rachel and Shelby worked on the book presentation for thirty minutes. Every time Shelby wanted to ask her daughter something, Rachel came up with a different question about her report.

"I need to start dinner, Rach." Shelby said, glancing at the clock on the top of the fireplace. "Do you have any homework for tomorrow?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, not for tomorrow."

"You can help me out with dinner, then." Shelby said. She wasn't sure what her daughter had done, but she could sense she was hiding something and she needed to get to the bottom of it.

"No, mom. I need to finish my video." Rachel replied.

"We can sing together while we make dinner." Shelby said.

Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed. She wasn't in the mood to continue that conversation with her mom. She had more important things to do. "I'll be in my room."

"Rachel, wait …" Shelby said, taking a deep breath. She shook her head and walked to the kitchen. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get Rachel to talk if she was already in a bad mood. She thought that if she followed her daughter into the bedroom, Rachel would be very defiant during dinner and they wouldn't be able to talk. It was better to allow her daughter to calm down.

…

"This pasta is really good, mom." Rachel said, smiling at her mom.

"I'm glad you like it, Rach. It's your dad's recipe, actually." Shelby replied. "He told me how much you'd liked it when you were there."

Rachel nodded as she twirled more spaghetti to her fork. "So good."

"Is it official that Mr. Schuester will be taking over Glee club?" Shelby asked, starting the conversation she had planned to have with her daughter. She was aware that she couldn't go straight to the questions she wanted to ask, so she needed to plan her strategy.

"Yes. Everyone was talking about it at school today." Rachel said, smiling as she continued eating.

Shelby was able to notice a spark in her daughter's eyes that meant she was particularly excited about William Schuester being in charge.

"I can't wait to start practicing. I certainly hope he has come up with a plan already. Of course, first thing tomorrow, I will be speaking to him to help him with the club." Rachel added.

"Did you have a chance to speak to Mr. Ryerson before he left?" Shelby asked, ignoring for the time being what her daughter had just said.

"No. Not today." Rachel replied, focusing on her pasta. "He had it coming, though."

"What does that mean?" Shelby inquired.

"He obviously did not appreciate my talent. I am a star, mom. I am the most talented person in McKinley. And yet, he insisted on giving some solos to Hank!" Rachel said, getting worked up.

"I know you're talented, Rach, but the real objective of Glee club is to allow everyone to share the spotlight." Shelby explained.

"That's ridiculous! Not everyone has star quality. In that club, I was the only one who knew what she was doing!" Rachel expressed.

"That is what High School is for. You have four years to discover who you are. Maybe those kids were not as talented as you, but with the right coaching, they could be wonderful." Shelby said.

Rachel scoffed. "Those kids? They were far from wonderful, mom."

"Rachel …" Shelby said in a warning tone.

"What? That's the truth. Mr. Ryerson couldn't see it, because he was tone deaf. He was not a good mentor, mom. He was never able to accept I was a bigger star than him." Rachel explained.

"Why am I under the impression you had something to do with his dismissal?" Shelby asked.

"What?" Rachel asked, almost choking.

"I want the truth, Rachel." Shelby said in a firm tone. "Did you have something to do with him getting fired?"

Rachel shook her head, but when she noticed the way her mother was looking at her, she started to nod. "I never thought he would get fired."

"What did you do?" Shelby asked, sliding her chair so she'd be closer to her daughter.

"I-I told Principal Figgins that Mr. Ryerson was not a good teacher, because he didn't appreciate my talent." Rachel said.

"Was that all?" Shelby asked. She couldn't understand why such a comment from a High School student could make someone be fired.

"It was! I simply asked Principal Figgins to get a more competent teacher to coach Glee club." Rachel explained. "I need someone who sees me for who I am, mom, a star."

"I'm afraid you're not a star yet, Rachel. You are a fourteen year old girl who needs to learn how to be a team player." Shelby added.

Rachel rolled her eyes. Her mother had said that before and she knew where this lecture was going. She was a team player, as long as the team swayed in the back while she sang.

"Hey, don't roll your eyes! You're in enough trouble." Shelby scolded.

"I'm in trouble?" Rachel asked in shock. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Rachel, you got a man fired." Shelby said.

"He had it coming! If he had listened to my suggestions and had seen me for who I am, he would still have a job!" Rachel said, almost yelling at her mom. "You just don't understand!"

"Rachel Barbra Berry, you won't speak to me in that tone." Shelby admonished. "You need to calm down this instant."

Rachel clenched her fists as she tried to even her breathing. "He had it coming."

"Do you even realize what you did? You cost a man his job. And why? Because he didn't give you a solo? Is that how you want people to see you? As the selfish singer who doesn't care who she steps on as long as she gets what she wants?" Shelby said, taking Rachel's hands in hers. "That is not the girl I raised and I won't allow you to become that person."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Rachel announced. She couldn't believe her mom was so upset about Mr. Ryerson getting fired. "Can I go to my room now?"

Shelby's blood was boiling and she was doing her best to remain calm. "You can go to your room. But first, I need you to get your laptop and your camera and bring them down."

"What? Why?" Rachel asked, confused.

"You've lost your computer and your camera for the rest of the week." Shelby explained. "And I don't want to hear about your fans on My Page or whatever the name of that site is. Until you learn that being a star doesn't mean crushing everyone in your path, you won't have access to the internet or your computer."

"But mom, that's not fair!" Rachel said, slamming her fist on the table.

"You should be thankful that is all I'm taking away." Shelby said. "I want you to go up to your room and get those things. If I don't have your laptop and your camera here within the next five minutes, I will also be taking away your ability to sit down comfortably tomorrow. I am not playing, Rachel Barbra."

Rachel gulped and nodded. She blushed at the thought of her mother's threat as she stood up from the table. She ran to her room and got what her mom had asked her to get. She wiped a few tears that were rolling down her face and climbed back down.

"A week, mom?" Rachel asked, feeling sorry for herself, as she handed her precious objects to Shelby.

"I could make it two." Shelby said, raising her eyebrow.

Rachel shook her head and admitted her defeat. "I'm going to bed now."

"Come here, Rach." Shelby asked, taking her daughter's hand. "I know you're upset and I really hope not having these things will make you think about what you did and will make you realize that you were wrong. Believe it or not, it is very difficult for me to have to do this. I love you and that will never change. You might hate me right now, but I am okay with that, because as your mom, it's my job to guide you and point out when something you did was not correct."

Rachel nodded. "I don't hate you, mom. I'm upset, but I don't hate you."

"Okay." Shelby said, kissing Rachel's hand. "You can go to your room now. I'll be there later to kiss you good night."

Rachel half-smiled and walked upstairs. She sighed as she looked at the empty space on her desk where her computer used to be. She never thought she would get in trouble that evening. She climbed on her bed, hugged her pink monkey and cried. She was glad that day was almost over and she hoped the next day would be a better one.


	3. Happy Days Are Here Again

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites and follows. I am very excited about this story and I am glad you guys are enjoying it as well. Here you have a brand new chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much again! **

**...**

Rachel woke up on Tuesday with a huge smile on her face. She was looking forward to talking to Mr. Schuester about her ideas for Glee club. Now that he had taken over the club, she was sure she was going to be the star. She was already planning on ways to convince him to give her the first solo. She got out of bed and instead of going straight to the elliptical, she went to her desk to write down some of the ideas she had just come up with. Soon, that smile she had been wearing turned into a pout when she remembered her mother had confiscated her computer the day before. She still thought it was very unfair and the young girl didn't understand why she had to go a whole week without her most precious possessions. Her mother could be so mean and unreasonable sometimes, she thought.

Rachel took a shower and changed into a long-sleeve lilac blouse, a checkered lilac skirt and light purple knee socks. She had chosen one of her favorite outfits that day to make a good impression around the new Glee coach.

"Good morning, Rach." Shelby said when her daughter walked into the kitchen. "I didn't hear you working out today. Are you feeling okay?"

Rachel shrugged. "I didn't feel like working on the elliptical this morning."

"You're not sick, are you?" Shelby asked, concerned, as she felt Rachel's forehead.

"Not yet. But my talent could really suffer this week if I don't have access to my camera and my computer." Rachel said, batting her mom's hand away from her head.

Shelby shook her head. Rachel could be so dramatic sometimes. "I think your talent can withstand a whole week without being showcased. This is exactly why I took those two things away. I want you to see you are more than just your voice."

"Can I go to my dads' house after school today?" Rachel asked, ignoring what her mother had just told her.

"No." Shelby replied, handing Rachel a piece of toast with cheese.

"What? Why not?" Rachel whined.

Shelby closed her eyes for a second as she took a deep breath. It was too early to listen to her daughter's whining. "They are both coming over for dinner tonight and I'd like you to help me."

"But mom! Why can't I go there and then the three of us can come here in time for dinner?" Rachel asked with an even worse whining tone of voice.

"I wasn't born yesterday, Rachel. I know very well why you want to go there after school and the answer is no. You cannot use your dad's computer either." Shelby said in a serious tone.

"Ugh! You are so infuriating!" Rachel said, stomping her foot and leaving the kitchen.

Shelby looked at her daughter's perfect storm out and shook her head. She didn't want to get into a fight that early in the morning.

"We're leaving in fifteen minutes, Rachel!" Shelby yelled from the bottom of the staircase. She knew she had to pick her battles and this particular one was not worth the fight.

…

Rachel walked down the hallways of McKinley with her head held high. She knew everything would be different that year. Once the whole school heard her sing, she'd start being treated like the star she was. She was on her way to Will Schuester's office when she spotted a sign-up sheet on one of the boards. The young diva couldn't believe four people had signed up before her. She was supposed to have been the first one. If only her mother hadn't taken so long that morning talking to her in the car. She wrote her name below Tina Cohen Chang and smiled as she noticed the four names written before her. None of those people were as talented as she was and she was ready to prove it.

Rachel glanced at her watch and realized she was late for Math class. She ran down the hall and apologized to her teacher as soon as she walked into the classroom. The only empty seat was next to Kurt Hummel and she sighed, as she realized that was the second class she would have to sit next to Kurt in.

"I saw you're also interested in joining Glee club." Rachel whispered as soon as she sat down. "I could definitely use your voice to sing backup vocals."

Kurt turned to look at Rachel and huffed. "You're the one who'll be singing backup vocals for me, dear."

Rachel shook her head and was about to refute that statement when she heard her name being called.

"Miss Berry and Mister Hummel, is there something you want to share with the class?" the Math teacher asked.

"No, I am sorry. I was just asking Kurt what I had missed since I was detained earlier and I was not able to make it to class on time." Rachel explained.

"Copy those equations from the board and start working on them, please." the Math teacher instructed.

Rachel and Kurt nodded as they kept their eyes on the board and their notebooks, not uttering a single word to one another during the class.

…

Rachel walked into the auditorium after third period and stood in the center of the stage. "Hi, my name is Rachel Berry, and I'll be singing On My Own from the seminal Broadway classic Les Mis."

As soon as Rachel opened her mouth, Will was enthralled by her voice. They were by far the best vocals he had heard in a long time. He couldn't believe such a strong voice could be coming out of such a petite girl. He had heard rumors about the young girl being a diva, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he thought she was right to be that conceited. If there was someone who could lead his newly founded Glee club into victory was that girl singing to him at the moment. She was extraordinary.

"Very nice, Rachel." Will said, not wanting to sound too eager.

"When do we start rehearsals?" Rachel asked, boasting with pride over her performance.

"We will start tomorrow after school." Will replied. He knew it wasn't customary to welcome a person into the club right after the audition, but he had decided from the very beginning that auditions were just a formality, since every person who wanted to join his club would be allowed to.

"I have some suggestions." Rachel said, stepping down the stage and walking towards Will. "You cannot deny I am the most talented singer here. I could see it in your face as you were watching me perform. I am a star and you are the one who's going to help launch my career. When I win my first Tony, you could be one of the people I thank. I know what a great honor that would be for you. And if you and I work together, I know we can make it happen."

William Schuester was speechless. He stared at the young girl in front of him and tried to speak, but he could tell Rachel was not over.

"So tell me, Mister Schuester, what are your plans for the club?" Rachel asked.

"I … uh well … I was thinking about starting with ..." Will said. He wasn't expecting to be questioned by his student.

"Me!" Rachel said. "You can start with me singing a solo. I was thinking about some Barbra or some Celine."

"I think we need to start with a group performance. We need to make everyone feel welcome." Will explained.

"I see your point, Mr. Schuester. You wouldn't want the others to compare themselves to me and be discouraged on the very first day." Rachel said, nodding. "But don't you think it's better to lay down the rules from the very beginning? They should know who the lead singer is going to be."

"Why is this so important for you, Rachel?" Will asked.

"Look, I know I'm just a sophomore, but I can feel the clock ticking away, and I don't want to leave High School with nothing to show for it." Rachel explained.

"You get great grades. You're a fantastic singer." Will added.

"Mr. Schuester, everybody hates me." Rachel said, sighing. "I know they hate me, because they are all jealous of me, but …"

"And you think Glee Club is going to change that?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"Being great at something is going to change it. Being a part of something special makes you special, right?" Rachel said. "And the only way this club is going to be special is if I am the lead singer. This will not only benefit me and my career, it will also benefit you. Think about it, Mr. Schuester, you could be known as the greatest glee club director of all times. You could be remembered as the man who discovered Rachel Berry."

Will was amazed at Rachel's determination and power of conviction. He knew that girl would get very far. He knew she was going to leave Lima behind as soon as she finished High School. He had no doubt she would eventually become the star she thought she already was. But he couldn't allow her to feel more special than the other students. He had asked to take over the Glee club to make a difference in his students' life and he planned on making every single one of them feel special.

"We will talk about this tomorrow with the rest of the group, Rachel." William said. "You are all going to be stars."

Rachel shook her head and walked away. Why didn't anyone understand what she needed? She knew she needed to plan a different approach.

"Hey, man hands! Have you finally accepted nobody wants to see your ugly face anymore?" Quinn asked as Rachel walked out of the auditorium. "I'm glad you haven't tortured us with another video."

"I actually missed your video last night, Hobbit. We have an infestation of cockroaches at home and your voice was the only thing that made them run away." Santana said, laughing.

Rachel ignored the cheerleaders and went to her locker. Everyone who was famous and popular had haters and she knew she needed to start developing a thicker skin. She couldn't show them how much those comments hurt her. No, she wasn't going to give them the pleasure of seeing her defeated.

…

"Daddy! What are you doing here?" Rachel asked with a smile when she spotted Hiram waiting for her outside school. "I thought mom was picking me up."

"Your mother had a meeting this afternoon and she couldn't be here." Hiram explained. "She called me and I couldn't pass up the chance to spend the afternoon with my princess."

Rachel smiled even wider and hugged her dad. "It's not that I am not happy to see you, daddy. But you and mom know I am already fourteen, right? You don't have to pick me up from school every afternoon. I can take the bus or I can walk."

"I know, princess. But we like doing this. We like talking to you and hearing all about your day." Hiram said, leading Rachel to his parked car. "So, how was your day?"

"It was wonderful! I auditioned for the new Glee club and my performance was flawless." Rachel said, getting into her dad's car.

"I have no doubt. You are the most talented girl in your school." Hiram added with pride.

"I know! Mister Schuester, the new coach, was captivated by my performance." Rachel said. "And I am going to get the first solo, daddy. I still haven't decided what song I would like to sing first, but I will figure it out later."

"I cannot wait to hear all about it." Hiram replied, driving down the main street in Lima.

"I can't believe mom asked you to pick me up. She was very reluctant this morning to let me go to your house after school today." Rachel said.

"Why is that?" Hiram asked, glancing at his daughter quickly.

Rachel shrugged. She wasn't sure if Shelby had told Hiram about what had happened. But judging by her father's look, he seemed to be in the dark about it. Rachel knew she could use that to her advantage. After all, her fathers rarely reprimanded her and she was sure that Hiram would not agree with her mother's punishment. However, she wasn't going to be the one revealing she might have done something wrong.

"I think she wanted me to help her with dinner or something." Rachel explained. "Where are we going?"

"We are picking your dad up from work and then we're going to the store." Hiram said.

"Oh …" Rachel said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Why are we going to the store?"

"Your mother asked me to get some things for her and then, we'll be driving to your house so we can all make dinner together. Isn't that wonderful?" Hiram asked.

"I thought we were going to your house." Rachel said.

"No, princess. This is even better, we are all cooking together!" Hiram replied, excited. He loved cooking.

"That's great, daddy." Rachel didn't sound as excited. She understood why her mother had allowed Hiram to pick her up. Shelby had made sure Rachel wouldn't be able to go to her dads' house. Her mother had planned everything to a tee.

…

"Daddy, can I get some new headbands and some new leggings?" Rachel asked, as soon as they walked into the store.

Hiram knew that trip to Walmart was mainly to get the ingredients Shelby had asked him to get for dinner that night, but he couldn't say no to that sweet face in front of him. "Of course, princess. Go pick what you want while your dad and I get some vegetables and some cheese and we'll meet you here in fifteen minutes."

Rachel smiled and rushed to the clothes department while Leroy and Hiram went grocery shopping. By the time she went to meet her dads, she was holding two headbands, two pairs of leggings, and three pairs of argyle knee socks.

"Is that all, peanut?" Leroy asked, chuckling.

"I was trying to find a dark blue headband to wear with my blue skirt tomorrow, but I couldn't find any." Rachel said. "Can we go to Claire's?"

"Not today, Rach, I'm sorry." Hiram replied. "We need to head to your house to start dinner."

"But we can take you there this weekend." Leroy added when he noticed the pout that was forming in his daughter's face.

"Thank you, daddies!" Rachel said, turning that pout into a wide smile.

"Okay, let's pay and get out of here. It's almost 5 and your mom should be home soon." Hiram said.

...

"Did you get everything?" Shelby asked, as soon as the two men and her daughter walked into the house.

"We did, mom!" Rachel answered with a hint of excitement in her voice. "We got these white and blue knee socks that will nicely complement my outfit tomorrow."

"You got her some socks?" Shelby asked, glaring accusingly at Hiram and Leroy. She couldn't believe that after over a decade, they still couldn't say no to their daughter.

"She needed them, Shelby. What were we supposed to do?" Hiram explained.

"How about saying no? She didn't need those socks, she already has a pair of argyle socks just like that one." Shelby said, shaking her head. "What else did you get her?"

Rachel glanced at her fathers and then at her mother. She didn't understand what the big issue was. It wasn't like she had asked them to get her a brand new iPod or a puppy; they were just socks and headbands.

"I got some headbands and some leggings and these other socks!" Rachel replied, showing her mom all the things she'd gotten that day. "Aren't they amazing?"

Hiram and Leroy looked sheepishly at Shelby who in return gave them a serious look by narrowing her eyes.

"Those are really great, Rach!" Shelby said. "Why don't you go up to your room to put them away in your drawer and then you wash your hands to help us with dinner?"

Rachel nodded and skipped up the stairs.

"Seriously, guys?" Shelby said, shaking her head and chuckling. "If she ever talks you into buying her a pony, it is staying at your house!"

"We're already having a stable built." Leroy added, winking at Shelby.

Shelby glowered at them and then said, "Did you at least get everything we need for dinner?"

"Of course! We even got some mint chocolate ice cream for you. We know it's your favorite." Hiram replied, smiling at his former girlfriend.

"Thank you, Hiram. But that doesn't mean I will let this slide. You need to learn how to say no to her." Shelby said, wagging her finger at both men.

…

"You were right, daddy. This lasagna is delicious. I never thought adding some cream cheese would make it this good." Rachel said, taking another forkful bite. "Of course, how would I know? Mom has tried to get me interested in cooking, but I don't quite see the point. I won't have time to cook once I am doing eight shows a week."

"You'll need to learn how to cook before you move to New York, Rach." Shelby said. "Of course, I could always move there with you and cook for you."

Rachel shrugged as she took another forkful. "I love everything you make, mom, so that wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Even though Shelby and Rachel argued sometimes and she thought her mom was unfair and mean at times, she wouldn't mind having Shelby around. She knew she would miss her terribly once she moved out. After all, Shelby was her rock and she couldn't imagine being far away from her. She couldn't voice that, of course. Teenagers were supposed to see their parents as their worst enemies. Rachel had never seen her mother or her fathers that way, though. It was true that she hated it when her mother was stern with her, but after a lecture, a grounding or any other kind of punishment, the only thing she wanted to do was apologize and hug her mom. Disappointing her mother was the worst feeling.

"So, tell us, peanut, how is school going?" Leroy asked. "How is sophomore year treating you?"

"It's only been two days, dad, but it's been good." Rachel replied.

"How did your audition go today, Rach?" Shelby asked.

"Oh it was wonderful, mom!" Rachel said, smiling.

"I'm sure it was, baby." Shelby said, nodding. "What did you sing? This morning you couldn't decide between doing On My Own or My Man."

"I did On My Own." Rachel replied. "Both are very emotional songs, but I thought I could connect with that particular one better."

"I wish I had been there to see you." Shelby added.

"I would've loved to see you as well." Hiram stated. "I have missed watching you sing on your page these days. Have you had a lot of homework?"

Rachel glanced over to her mom and then looked at her dad. "Not really. I've just been preoccupied with other things."

Shelby raised her eyebrow at Rachel, encouraging her to tell her dads what had happened the day before. But she could see her daughter was staring at her plate, hoping everyone would drop the subject

"Rachel has lost her computer and her camera for the rest of the week." Shelby said.

"Mom!" Rachel whined, blushing at her mother's statement.

"They are your dads, honey, and they need to know what's going on in your life." Shelby explained.

"What happened?" Hiram asked, feeling bad for his daughter. But he was sure Shelby must've had a good reason for it. After all, he knew what a wonderful mother Shelby was.

Shelby explained what happened to Sandy Ryerson and their daughter's involvement in the whole debacle. Rachel felt the color rising in her cheeks as her mother continued talking. She wanted to defend her case, but she was grateful her mom didn't know the whole story and she didn't want to rock the boat.

"As much as I enjoy watching you sing, Rachel, your mother was right to take away those things." Hiram said in a calm tone. "That was very serious."

Shelby smiled as Hiram backed her up. He and his husband did give Rachel everything she wanted and had some trouble with the word no, but Shelby knew that she always had their support when it came to the big and important things.

"But daddy, don't you think a week is too much?" Rachel asked, trying to get her dad on her side.

"If your mother thinks a week is the right amount of time, then a week it is." Hiram replied. "You know how much we love you and how proud we are of you, right? No matter what."

Shelby nodded alongside Leroy, who added. "Peanut, you are our golden star."

Rachel smiled at her three parents and stood up to give each one a hug. "I love you. And mom, I'm really sorry."

Shelby gently pulled Rachel to sit her on her lap. She was grateful her daughter was still short and she could still hold her like that. "Thank you for the apology, baby. I love you."

"Can I have my things back?" Rachel asked, turning her head smiling sweetly at her mom.

"Of course you can … in a week." Shelby replied, squeezing her daughter tight.

"Mom!" Rachel said. This time, she didn't whine. After all, she never thought her mother would concede.

"Since you can't showcase your talent online, how about giving us a private performance tonight?" Hiram suggested. "We'd love to hear you sing."

Rachel stood up from her mother's lap as quickly as she could and smiled widely. "Really?"

"That is a wonderful idea! We would love to hear you sing! I'll play the piano." Shelby said, cleaning the table and getting all the dishes to the kitchen.

"I'll go get changed!" Rachel added, rushing up the stairs.

"Why does she need to get changed?" Leroy asked.

"A star never performs in sweats!" Rachel yelled from the top of the stairs.

Shelby, Hiram and Leroy laughed at the same time after Rachel's statement.

"You are doing a wonderful job with her, Shelby." Hiram said.

"The three of us are." Shelby added, smiling at both Hiram and Leroy.

…

_But the passengers they knew right from wrong_

_For the people all said,_

_Sit down, sit down you're rockin' the boat._

The newly formed Glee club was singing the classic from Guys and Dolls as they danced around the singer on his wheelchair.

"We suck." Rachel declared, looking frustrated. She couldn't believe the first solo had gone to Artie.

"Uh, it … It'll get there. We-we just need to keep rehearsing." Will replied.

"Mr. Schuester, do you have any idea how ridiculous it is to give the lead solo in 'Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat' to a boy in a wheelchair?" Rachel asked, huffing.

"I think Mr. Schue is using irony to enhance the performance." Artie added.

"There is nothing ironic about show choir!" Rachel yelled, storming out of the choir room.

Rachel roamed the hallways of McKinley trying to calm down. She was frustrated to see once again that nobody was as passionate about performing as she was. She couldn't believe it was a game for everyone. Rachel was not playing. She was serious about show choir and she needed to find a way to make Mr. Schuester and the rest of the club realize how important Glee club was.

The young diva glanced at her watch and realized it was still early to head to the main entrance to wait for her mother. She walked past the choir room and saw that everyone was still there. She couldn't let them continue their first meeting without her. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked back in.

"What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked in an annoyed tone.

"It's obvious this club needs my help." Rachel declared. "Mr. Schuester, let me show you how it's done."

Rachel walked over to the pianist and whispered the name of the song she wanted to sing. She walked back to the center of the room and took a deep breath, getting ready to start her performance.

_A New Life _

_What I wouldn't give to have a new life_

_One thing I have learned _

_As I go through life_

_Nothing is for free along the way!_

As annoyed as Mercedes and Kurt were about Rachel's barging back into the room and stealing their spotlight again, they couldn't deny their classmate could sing. They both wanted to look away and pretend they were not interested, but there was an invisible force that was keeping their eyes glued on Rachel.

_A new hope _

_Something to convince me to renew hope_

_A new day, _

_Bright enough _

_To help me find my way_

William Schuester was doing his best to keep his tears at bay. Rachel had chosen a very emotional song and he was sure there was a reason behind her choice.

Rachel had tears in her eyes as she continued interpreting the song from the musical Jekyll and Hyde. Her voice was so powerful that it could travel down every corner at school. In fact, Finn Hudson, the quarterback, was walking down the hallways after football practice when he heard someone singing and he had to stop outside the choir room to see who it was.

_A new life _

_More and more, I'm sure,_

_As I go through life,_

_Just to play the game,_

_And to pursue life_

_Just to share its pleasures,_

_And belong_

_That's what I've been here for all along_

_Each day's a brand new life_

Rachel held the last note for a few seconds and then took a bow as Tina, Artie and Mr. Schuester clapped.

"That was good." Kurt said, without any emotion in his voice.

Rachel smiled and went back to her seat.

"That was extraordinary, Rachel." Will said. "Now that Rachel has sung her first solo, I want each one of you to prepare a solo for next class."

Rachel glared at the teacher standing before her and shook her head. That had not been the purpose of her solo. She was about to complain when she noticed Finn standing by the door. It seemed as if he was looking at her, but Rachel didn't think that was possible, since he always ignored her.

"Okay, that is it for today! I am thrilled to have you all here. Sectionals, here we come!" Will said, dismissing the small group.

"You sing so well." Finn said, walking into the choir room.

"Thank you." Rachel smiled. "Do you sing?"

"Only in the shower." Finn said, laughing at his own joke.

"Maybe you should try out for the club. I could use a male lead that could keep up with me vocally." Rachel said. "How about you audition right now?"

"What? Right now? No. I …" Finn started to trip on his words. He could not audition for Glee club. That was for losers and he was the quarterback. Besides, his girlfriend, Quinn Fabray, would never approve.

Will, who had been listening to the teenager's conversation, stepped in. "It'll be fun. How about we start with an easy song? How about 'You're the one that I want' from Grease?"

Finn gave in and started singing. In that moment, both Rachel and Will knew he was the male lead the club needed.

"Welcome to the club, Finn!" Will said, shaking Finn's hand.

"No, no. I can't!" Finn said. "I have football practice and then, I need to go to a meeting of the Celibacy Club and …"

"You're very talented." Rachel said.

"Really?" Finn asked.

"Yeah. I would know. I'm very talented, too." Rachel said.

"But-but … I can't join the club!" Finn said.

"Why not?" Rachel asked.

"It just conflicts with …" Finn started to say.

"Your reputation? You've really got something, Finn, and you're throwing it away." Rachel said, with her hands on her hips. "You can't keep worrying about what people think of you. You're better than all of them."

Finn looked at Will and Rachel and sighed. "I need to think about it."

"Rachel is right, you are very talented." Will added.

Finn nodded and left the room.

"He'll be back." Rachel told her teacher.

…

"You look very happy today, Rach." Shelby said as Rachel climbed in the car after school. "I assume your first Glee practice went well?"

"It was wonderful, mom! I sang a solo and they all clapped and then, Finn Hudson auditioned and he is now the male lead I needed." Rachel explained with a smile on her face.

"I'm so glad you had such a good day, baby!" Shelby replied, smiling as well. "What song did you sing?"

"A New Life." Rachel said. "Even though I do not think I would be right to play Lucy Harris on the show, I love that song and it fits my vocal range perfectly well. And I find the lyrics quite appropriate. I mean, I don't feel like I am dying and I am not ready to say adieu to this world, but I find the lyrics are a metaphor for a new beginning. Every day is a brand new chance to start a new life. And you know, mom, metaphors are very important."

Shelby nodded as she listened to her daughter. She was very proud of Rachel. She was proud her girl had big dreams and she wasn't afraid to fight for what she deserved.

"That is true, Rach. When I was your age, I thought the same thing. I used to sign my name with a star at the end, because that was a metaphor for me being a star." Shelby admitted.

"Really?" Rachel asked, grinning. "I do the same thing!"

Shelby chuckled and nodded. She had never told Rachel how ambitious and driven she had been as a teenager, that is why she found it so amazing that her daughter had exactly the same dreams.

"And who did you say had joined the club?" Shelby asked.

"Finn Hudson." Rachel replied. She had a crush on the quarterback, but it was nothing but mere infatuation. She was not planning on getting close to him, since she had no time for boys. She needed to focus fully on her rise to stardom. "He's the quarterback or something like that."

That last statement surprised Shelby. Why would a football jock be joining the show choir? "Oh, that is wonderful."

Rachel looked at the window and frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Vivace Cuisine. I thought it would be nice to eat out tonight." Shelby said.

"I love that place! What's the occasion?" Rachel asked, excited about going to a restaurant that night.

"I just wanted to have a nice meal with my favorite person in the whole wide world." Shelby replied.

"Thank you, mom." Rachel said, glancing at her mom.

…

A week had gone by and Rachel couldn't be happier. She finally had access to her computer and her camera again and she couldn't wait to start uploading some videos. Despite the rude comments she sometimes received, she knew there were some people out there who did enjoy watching her perform and she couldn't let her fans down.

"Rach, do you have any homework?" Shelby asked, going into her daughter's room.

"I did it all at school, mom." Rachel replied, setting her camera on the tripod. "What song do you think I should do first? Which one is better to announce my triumphant return?"

Shelby shook her head at her daughter's antics and chuckled. It had only been a week, but she knew that a week felt like a year when you were a teenager. "What are the options, Rach?"

Rachel handed Shelby two printed sheets and awaited her mother's suggestion.

"It's All Coming Back to Me Now or Happy Days Are Here Again?" Shelby asked. Both songs were very good choices and she could see what her daughter's intention was. Rachel wanted to impress everyone with her wonderful vocals. "I'd say Happy Days."

"Barbra. Perfect choice!" Rachel said, nodding.

"Do you want to make it even more special?" Shelby asked.

"How?" Rachel asked, with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"You could have your own piano accompaniment instead of using a track." Shelby replied, smiling.

It took Rachel a few seconds to truly understand what her mother was saying, but when she did, she grinned and clapped. "You would really do that?"

"Of course! It's your triumphant return! It needs to be extra special!" Shelby said.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Rachel hugged her mom and then started moving the camera. "I'll set everything up in the music room!"

"Okay, I'll just get the music sheet." Shelby replied.

"No, mom, you need to get changed! I want to sing by the piano, so you'll appear on the video. You'll be making your debut on camera, mom. You don't want it to be in your lounge clothes, right?" Rachel urged her mom.

"Uh no, of course not." Shelby said, quickly. "So uh, I'll go change."

"Wear something nice! And make sure it doesn't clash with my own outfit!" Rachel yelled, as her mom was on her way to the bedroom.

As soon as both mother and daughter were ready, Shelby sat by the piano and played the song for Rachel to sing. Once both were satisfied with the performance, Rachel turned the camera on and gave it her best showbiz smile.

"Hello, everyone. I'm back. And to celebrate my return, I have a very special guest with me today. My mom will be accompanying me on the piano as I sing this classic just for you."

_Happy days are here again_

_The skies above are clear again_

_So let's sing a song of cheer again_

_Happy days are here again_

When Rachel finished singing, she turned off the camera and sat next to her mother by the piano. "I think this was my best performance to date, mom. Thank you so much."

Shelby hugged Rachel and kissed her on the head. "That was wonderful, baby. I am so proud of you. There is no doubt, you are going to be a big star someday."

Rachel smiled and nodded. After a couple of minutes in silence, Rachel glanced up to look at her mom. "I'm a bit confused, mom."

"Why?" Shelby asked. She knew what was causing her daughter's confusion, but she wanted to hear it straight from Rachel.

"You took away my camera and my computer last week …" Rachel started saying. "But you helped me with my video today."

"Do you remember why I did that? What did I tell you?" Shelby asked.

"That I needed to learn that being a star didn't mean crushing everyone in my path." Rachel said in a low voice.

"And did that week without your things make you think about that?" Shelby inquired.

Rachel nodded.

"Then, you've learned your lesson. You are a star, Rach. You are talented and you have the voice of an angel. I know every dream you have ever dreamed of will eventually come true. I know you are going to make it to Broadway. And I will always be there to encourage you and tell you how amazing you are." Shelby said, smiling. "I am very proud of you."

"Thank you, mom." Rachel said, again. "Do you want to watch the video before I upload it?"

"I'd love to! I am sure I was wonderful as well." Shelby replied, winking at Rachel.

"You always are, mom." Rachel said, before playing the video.

Rachel was truly lucky to have a mother who loved her that much and who was always there for her. Even when she got in trouble and she was scolded, after a couple of hours of pouting, she was always grateful her mom was there to guide her. Rachel might not be popular at school, but she knew she was very fortunate to have such a loving family.


	4. Taking Chances

**I know it has taken me forever to update this story and I want to apologize. My muse comes and goes and I have no control over her sometimes. I'm really sorry! The good news is that this chapter is over 12k long! I hope you like it and it was worth the wait.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews!**

**...**

Two weeks had gone by since the new Glee club was founded, and Rachel couldn't be more excited to go to school every day. She was still bullied and she still had to clean slushies off her face on a daily basis, but when she went into the choir room, she was the star. Even though there were other members of the club and Mr. Schuester insisted on making everyone feel important, Rachel knew she was the glue that held the club together. She knew that the club would be nothing without her. The choir room was her favorite place in the whole school … until that afternoon she walked into the choir room and saw three cheerleaders sitting in the back.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, with her hands on her hips. "This is our territory and you cannot come to bully us here."

"Relax, Midget, we have joined the club." Santana replied.

"What do you mean …" Rachel shook her head, turned to Will Schuester and accusingly asked, "Is it true? Have they joined Glee club? How could you do this to us, Mr. Schuester?"

"Rachel, we needed more members, so when Quinn came to me and asked if they could join, I couldn't turn them down." Will explained. "Besides, they can really sing."

"But they are cheerleaders! They are the ones who have been picking on us and humiliating us ever since we started school." Rachel declared.

"They will no longer do that, Rachel." Finn added, turning to glance at Quinn. "Quinn promised the attacks would stop."

"As long as you keep your paws off my boyfriend, everything will be okay." Quinn told Rachel. "You can dance with him. You can sing with him. But you will never have him."

"I'm an honorable person. I don't need to steal your man. Besides, my career is my top priority at the moment. I don't have time for any suitors." Rachel replied.

"Okay, guys, now that we are nine, we can start preparing for sectionals. We only need three more members, but I am sure once they hear Glee club is now cool, we will have plenty of members." Will said, excited.

"What am I singing today?" Rachel asked with a big smile.

"You won't be singing the solo today, Rachel. You need to give the others a chance. How about you show us what you can do, Quinn?" Will said.

Rachel glared at her teacher, "You're giving Quinn Fabray the solo? That's my solo."

"You are not the only member of this club, Rachel." Will informed the diva.

"I know. But I am the only one who can lead this club to Nationals." Rachel said.

"Let's focus on Sectionals first. Come on, Quinn, the stage is all yours." Will proclaimed.

Rachel clenched her fists and walked to the door. "This is wrong, Mr. Schuester, so wrong!"

"Is she going to storm out again?" Kurt asked in a bored tone.

Mercedes and Tina shrugged. Rachel's diva fits were getting old and they were no longer interested in what the petite brunette did.

…

Shelby arrived in McKinley twenty minutes earlier than usual, since her last class had been cancelled due to an event at the university. She was about to park her car when she noticed her daughter was sitting on a bench outside, already waiting to be picked up. She waved at Rachel, but the girl was looking down and didn't notice her mother.

"Rach, why aren't you in Glee club?" Shelby asked, after deciding to get out of the car and see why her daughter looked so dejected. She sat next to her daughter and noticed the tears rolling down her face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Rachel sniffed as she tried to wipe her tears. "Can we go home?"

Shelby looked at her daughter sadly and then nodded. She knew she wasn't going to get any answers in that moment. She had to give Rachel some time to process whatever was going on in her head, so she could talk about it.

"Let's go." Shelby stood up and smiled as Rachel stood up as well. She wrapped her arm around her daughter and led her to the car.

Rachel smiled at her mom and sighed as she got into the front seat. She was grateful Shelby hadn't asked any more questions. She wasn't ready to confess that the reason why she was outside waiting for Shelby was because she had stormed out. She knew her mom didn't like her doing that. Besides, she wasn't ready to tell Shelby she was bullied on a regular basis and that was why she had been so upset about seeing the cheerleaders in her sacred place.

"I think this day calls for Barbra, huh?" Shelby stated, as the Funny Girl album started playing.

"Thank you, mom." Rachel said, taking a deep breath and smiling widely.

Both mother and daughter stayed silent for a couple of minutes, both enjoying the soundtrack playing in the car. Shelby wanted to ask Rachel how school had gone and was waiting for the right moment to do so. Rachel wanted to tell her mom all about her day, but she didn't know where to start.

"Mom, how did you know we would finish earlier today?" Rachel asked. "I had only been sitting outside for five minutes."

"It was just a fortunate coincidence. The university was holding a special event today and my class was cancelled. I am glad it was." Shelby replied.

"Me too." Rachel declared.

"How come Glee club finished early today?" Shelby inquired.

Rachel shrugged. "Mr. Schuester wanted to rehearse with the new members."

"And he didn't need you there?" Shelby asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No, he didn't. He made it very clear my presence was not required today, so I left."

"So you left?" Shelby glanced at her daughter and noticed the sheepish look she was being given. "Were you the only one who left earlier?"

"He gave my solo to Quinn Fabray!" Rachel said, raising her voice. "It was my solo!"

"Are you already rehearsing for any upcoming competition?" Shelby asked, choosing to ignore her daughter's tone.

"No. We don't even have those twelve members we need yet." Rachel replied.

"So that solo that Mr. Schuester gave away was just a simple song?" Shelby asked.

"Just a song!? Mom! There isn't such a thing as just a song! Every song is important!" Rachel declared in disbelief. "That song was my song!"

"What song was it?" Shelby inquired.

"Uh … I don't know. But it was mine!" Rachel declared.

Shelby parked the car on the driveway and turned to look at her daughter. "Rachel, sweetie, we have talked about this. You need to learn to be a team player."

Rachel rolled her eyes, as she took off her seat belt. She wasn't in the mood to be lectured. "You just don't understand, mom. Glee club is my only chance to be known, to become a star."

Before Shelby could say anything, Rachel got out of the car, unlocked the front door and ran into the house.

"Rachel!" Shelby yelled, but it was too late, her daughter was already out of sight. She counted to ten and then walked into the house as well.

Rachel was sitting on the couch in the living room with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. When Shelby saw her, she couldn't help thinking her daughter looked exactly as she did when she got angry at her parents and she wondered whether she should let Rachel calm down or not.

"Rach, when you are ready, you can come to the kitchen and talk to me while I fix us some dinner, huh?" Shelby said, giving her daughter a kiss on the head. "You said I don't understand, but I want to understand."

Rachel watched her mom walk away and sighed. She immediately felt bad about her outburst in the driveway. Sometimes it was easier to ignore her mom when Shelby was angry than when she was trying to reach out to her.

Ten minutes had passed before Rachel stood up and walked into the kitchen. "What are we having for dinner tonight, mom?"

"I'm making a mixed vegetable casserole." Shelby replied. "Can you hand me the cracker crumbs?"

"Where are they?" Rachel asked, looking around the kitchen.

"Right there, behind the oil." Shelby pointed at the bottle of oil with a spoon.

"These ones?" Rachel asked, showing her mom a bag of cookies.

Shelby chuckled and shook her head. "We could add that to the casserole, but I don't think it would taste very good with chocolate chip cookies."

Rachel smiled and shrugged. "You never know, mom. These cookies taste good on everything!"

"I'll add those cookies to your plate and you can tell me how it tastes." Shelby jokingly declared, as she looked adoringly at her daughter. She loved seeing that silly side of her. She took the bag of crumbs and added. "I will add cracker crumbs to mine."

"Mom? I'm sorry for saying you don't understand." Rachel apologized.

Shelby wiped her hands on her apron and hugged Rachel. "I know that feeling, honey. When I was your age, I also thought my parents didn't understand what I was going through. But I want to understand. I am here to listen to you. You can always talk to me."

Rachel put her arms around her mom's waist and held her tightly. "I know, mom."

Both mother and daughter held on to each other for a minute before they broke the hug. Shelby put the dish she was making in the oven and led Rachel to the kitchen island, so they could both sit down. "Do you want to talk about what made you leave Glee club today?"

Rachel was about to answer when the doorbell rang. She rushed to the door and opened it. "Daddy! What are you doing here?"

"Hiram, this is a surprise!" Shelby said. "Are you staying over for dinner?"

"No. I just came here to give this to Rachel." Hiram replied, handing his daughter a magazine featuring Barbra Streisand.

"Thank you so much, daddy!" Rachel exclaimed, hugging Hiram. "Mom, look, it's Barbra on the cover!"

"That's so wonderful, Rach!" Shelby replied. She smiled at her daughter and then raised her eyebrow at Hiram. "You could've waited until dinner on Thursday, you know? No wonder your daughter is so spoiled."

"I couldn't wait, Shelby, it's Barbra!" Hiram echoed Rachel's excitement.

"Stay over for dinner, daddy! Mom made a vegetable casserole." Rachel declared. "You love mom's casserole."

"Oh I wish I could stay, but Leroy and I have plans tonight." Hiram explained. "But before we go, tell me, how was school today?"

Rachel sighed. "It was okay."

"We were just talking about it. Rachel was about to tell me why her Glee Club practice hadn't gone very well this afternoon." Shelby said.

"What happened, princess?" Hiram asked, concerned.

"Mr. Schuester gave my solo to Quinn Fabray!" Rachel complained. She knew that her dad would be on her side.

"Why did he do that? Should I go talk to him tomorrow?" Hiram asked.

"Hiram, don't …" Shelby warned.

"It was very unfair. The cheerleaders shouldn't even be allowed to join my club." Rachel told her dad.

"No matter who joins that club, princess, you will always be the star." Hiram declared.

"It's true, Rachel, you will always be a star." Shelby jumped in. "But you should also allow others to have their chance at stardom."

"I agree with your mother. After all, nobody will ever be as talented as you, so why not allow them to have their fifteen minutes of fame? You will have a lifetime of that." Hiram said.

"I guess …" Rachel conceded.

Hiram and Shelby smiled at each other. "Are you sure you can't stay over for dinner? You could call Leroy and you can both have dinner here."

"Thank you, Shelby, but we have a table booked at Chez Pierre tonight." Hiram boasted.

"Oh can I go?" Rachel asked. She had never been to a fancy romantic restaurant and she was dying to try it.

Before Hiram answered and changed all his plans, Shelby spoke, "Not tonight, Rach. Our dinner is almost ready. I'm sure we can all go there some time."

"That would be great!" Rachel excitedly exclaimed.

"Okay, princess, I have to go." Hiram said. "I'll see you on Thursday."

"Thank you so much for the magazine, daddy! I'll put it inside my Barbra box." Rachel hugged her dad before running up the stairs to her bedroom to put her magazine in a safe place.

"Have fun tonight, Hiram." Shelby said, giving Hiram a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for making our daughter smile like that tonight. She needed it."

"I'd do anything to make my two girls smile." Hiram stated before walking to the door. "Save me some casserole, please."

Shelby nodded and waved as she watched Hiram drive away.

The rest of the evening went well. Shelby and Rachel enjoyed their dinner as they chatted about different topics and then watched a documentary on television before Rachel went to bed.

Rachel stayed awake for about an hour thinking about how she was going to approach the cheerleaders in Glee club situation the following day until she was finally able to fall asleep.

…

"Have a good day, sweetie." Shelby said, parking in front of McKinley.

Rachel sighed and nodded. "See you later, mom."

Rachel was walking to her locker when she was intercepted by Quinn and Santana. She closed her eyes, awaiting the cold feeling of a slushie, but instead, she only felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax. We're not going to hurt you." Santana said. "We need to talk to you."

"Aren't you guys going to get shunned for talking to me?" Rachel asked.

"We're a team now." Quinn replied. "We know you are the one Mr. Schuester listens to, so you need to do something about his dance routines. Yesterday when you left, he started teaching us a routine that made us all look like fools."

Santana nodded as Quinn spoke, and then she added, "You can be the one who leads our club to Nationals, but we will need some help with the dancing. We don't want a repeat of yesterday."

Rachel beamed with pride as she was being recognized by the cheerleaders for everything she did for the club. "What can I do?"

"Do you know who Dakota Stanley is?" Quinn asked.

When Rachel shook her head, Quinn explained, "He's the best show choir choreographer in the Midwest. He works with Vocal Adrenaline."

"Do you think he'd agree to work with us?" Rachel wondered.

"I'm sure he will. We just need Mr. Schue's permission." Quinn added.

"I'll see what I can do." Rachel replied, smiling.

"Just one thing, Hobbit, this doesn't mean we are friends." Santana assured Rachel before Quinn and the Latina walked away.

Rachel glanced at her watch and realized she still had time to go to the computer room to see if she could find any information about the choreographer before she had to go to class. She walked into the room and found an empty seat.

"Let's see, Dakota Stanley." Rachel said to herself as she browsed the name. "Wow, he has worked with show choirs for ten years …"

The more Rachel read about Dakota, the more convinced she was that he was the one her club needed. She looked up some videos of him and found a few dance routines he had choreographed. She was impressed by the quality of the performances. She knew she had to find a way to hire him. She sent the choreographer an email asking how much he charged and whether he was free to coach his club or not and then went to class.

…

"Five, six, seven, eight. Step and step. Step and step. And turn around. Down and up. And hit, hit down hit." Will instructed as every member of his Glee Club rehearsed a dance he had come up with the night before.

Rachel interrupted the rehearsal, after getting nudged by Quinn. "Can we stop, please?"

Will sighed. "You don't have to ask me every time for permission to go to the bathroom, Rachel. You can just go."

"It's not my bladder. It's the choreography." Rachel explained. "We can't compete with Vocal Adrenaline with these steps. You're a great vocal coach, Mr. Schue, but you're not a trained choreographer. That's why we need the best. We need Dakota Stanley."

"Dakota Stanley?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"He is the best choreographer, Mr. Schue." Santana said. "He was someone's understudy in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway."

"Just because he understudied doesn't mean he ever performed." William replied.

"Can you imagine what we can do with my voice and a good dance routine? We can win Nationals, Mr. Schuester." Rachel stated.

"Rachel, let's focus on Sectionals first. This routine I am teaching you is good." Will said. "Okay, guys, from the top. Five, six, seven, eight."

Quinn and Santana glared at Rachel as she just shrugged, already thinking of a plan. She was going to find a way to get Dakota Stanley. She still didn't know how, but if having him around could get them a first place trophy, she was going to do everything she could to make it happen.

…

As soon as Rachel got home, she rushed into her room to check if she had gotten a reply from the choreographer. She had sent an e-mail seven hours ago, so she was hoping he'd replied by then. She smiled as she saw a new message waiting to be opened. However, her smile soon turned into a frown when she read the content of the message.

"8,000 dollars?" Rachel screeched. "A 10,000 dollar bonus if we place in the top three? This is crazy!"

Shelby heard her daughter piercing cry and rushed upstairs to check on her. "Rach, is everything okay?"

Rachel was pacing around the room shaking her head, as she mumbled, "You can do this. We can do this."

"Rachel, stop! What's going on?" Shelby asked, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders to keep her from moving.

"Dakota Stanley is the best choreographer in the Midwest, mom, and he wants to help us get to the top …" Rachel explained.

"That's wonderful, honey! But that doesn't explain your behavior." Shelby commented.

"I need to find a way to convince Mr. Schuester to … No, wait, I need to talk to Principal Figgins. Yes, he is the one I need to talk to." Rachel said, more to herself than to her mother. "After all, I know that he listens to me. I can just do what I did last time. No, because I don't want Mr. Schue to get fired. We just need a …"

Rachel stopped talking when she noticed the look her mother was giving her, which was accompanied by Shelby's signature raised eyebrow.

"Rachel, what exactly did you do last time?" Shelby inquired.

"Nothing, mom. It doesn't matter." Rachel quickly replied, sitting down in front of the computer. "I need to make sure Dakota Stanley doesn't commit to any other club. I know we can win with my voice alone, but apparently judges like it when clubs do some kind of choreography and my years of ballet do not help in this case."

"How did you find out about this man? How did you get his e-mail address?" Shelby asked.

"Santana and Quinn asked me to …"

Shelby interrupted Rachel, "The cheerleaders you were so upset about yesterday?"

Rachel nodded. "They asked me to talk to Mr. Schuester about hiring Mr. Stanley, but Mr. Schue didn't even listen to me."

"How did you get an answer from that man so fast? Glee club finished less than two hours ago." Shelby wondered.

"I sent the message in the morning hoping I'd have an answer by the time I got home." Rachel explained. "And I did. Isn't that great, mom?"

"I don't know, Rach. Mr. Schuester is your teacher and he knows what's best for the club." Shelby said. "Besides, do you think your school would agree to hire someone else? During that PTA meeting we had, Principal Figgins mentioned the arts received no funding from the school district."

"I am not going to allow my talent to suffer just because the school district refuses to see they have a star in their midst." Rachel declared.

Shelby sighed. "Rach …"

"Do you know what losing a show choir competition would do to my career? How could I write that on my resume?" Rachel asked.

Shelby was about to lecture her daughter again on her thirst for fame, but she had once been in Rachel's shoes and she knew what it meant to want something that much.

"Sweetie, you don't need to worry about it right now. Enjoy these three years of High School you have left. Enjoy singing and dancing just for fun, not for …"

"Just for fun?" Rachel asked, outraged. "I don't sing and dance just for fun, mom! Every performance at school prepares me for my career as a Broadway star."

Shelby suppressed a chuckle after seeing her daughter's posture. "I know, Rach. And just like you will have to trust the director when you are on Broadway, this time, you have to trust Mr. Schuester. Don't do anything you'll regret later, huh?"

Shelby gave Rachel a kiss on the head and started to walk out of her daughter's bedroom. "I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Rachel nodded and went back to reading the message on her screen. Her mother had told her not to do anything she would regret later. The only thing she'd actually regret was not having hired the choreographer and having lost the competition.

"When can we start?" Rachel typed. "We can have the money next week."

…

The following morning, Rachel walked into McKinley with new confidence. She had already come up with a plan and she just needed her classmates' support.

"Dear fellow Glee Club members, I have called this meeting to talk to you about a very important matter concerning our club." Rachel stated.

"Where's Mr. Schue?" Finn asked, looking around the room.

"Mr. Schuester will not be coming to the meeting." Rachel replied. "As I was saying, there is an urgent matter we need to discuss. As you have noticed, Mr. Schuester is not a skilled choreographer and those steps he has been teaching us can seriously harm our performance in a competition."

"What do you suggest, Rachel?" Kurt asked. "I agree those steps are atrocious."

"I have contacted Dakota Stanley, the best choreographer there is, and he has agreed to come and help us." Rachel said.

"Th-that is wo-wonderful." Tina stuttered.

"When will he be here?" Quinn wondered.

"That's what we need to talk about. He can be here next Wednesday, but we need to pay him first. He needs us to make a deposit of 8,000 dollars by Tuesday morning." Rachel explained.

"8,000 dollars? Have you lost your mind?" Mercedes asked. "Where are we going to get that amount of money?"

"We could hold a bake sale?" Brittany suggested.

"Sure, we could sell each cookie for one thousand dollars." Kurt replied, rolling his eyes.

"We could sing for money at the mall." Rachel said.

"Nobody wants to see a group of losers performing, Rachel." Artie assured the petite girl.

"How about organizing a car wash this weekend?" Santana suggested.

"All in favor of holding a car wash this weekend, raise your hand." Rachel instructed.

Rachel smiled as everyone agreed that Santana's idea was the best way to get some money. "Then, it's settled. I'll make some posters tonight to announce our big car wash and I'll print some flyers. Invite everyone you know to come and get their car washed. Tell them it's all for a good cause. Meeting adjourned."

…

"Rach, we're going to be late! Your dads are already on their way to Breadstix!" Shelby said, walking into her daughter's room. The whole family always had dinner together on Thursdays and for some reason, Rachel was more interested in what was happening behind her computer screen than in her weekly family dinner.

"I just need to finish something for school, mom." Rachel replied without looking up from her desk.

"I thought you said you'd finished your homework." Shelby stated.

"I did. This is for Glee club. I'll be ready in five minutes, I promise." Rachel assured her mom.

"Okay, if you are not downstairs in five minutes, I'm leaving without you." Shelby said, before walking out of her daughter's room.

Shelby stared at the clock on the wall for exactly five minutes. "I'm leaving, Rach!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Rachel ran downstairs, trying to put on her jacket as she tried not to miss a step on the stairs. She knew her mother was serious when she said she was just leaving. Once Rachel hadn't believed her and had taken longer and when she came down, Shelby was gone. Of course, her mother had come back after ten minutes, but she had learned her lesson.

"What were you doing on your computer?" Shelby asked.

"I'll tell you and my dads over dinner." Rachel replied, smiling at her mom. "I can't wait for you guys to hear it!"

…

"Princess, you look much happier than the last time I saw you." Hiram said, hugging his daughter. "That teacher at school isn't giving you any more trouble?"

"He's still pretty clueless, daddy, but I've hired some help." Rachel proudly replied. "The best choreographer in the country will be helping my club."

"That's wonderful, peanut!" Leroy added with a smile. "Shall we sit down, so you can tell us all about it?"

Rachel took a seat in a booth next to her mother, while Leroy and Hiram sat on the other side.

"Did you talk to Mr. Schuester today about this new choreographer?" Shelby inquired.

"He knows he needs help, so we are going to provide that help." Rachel replied, avoiding giving her mother a straight answer. "We'll be holding a car wash on Saturday to raise some money to pay Dakota."

"Is that the name of that wonderful choreographer?" Hiram asked.

"Dakota Stanley, yes. He's helped Vocal Adrenaline over the years and according to his site, they have won every single time. Now, it's our turn to get that first place trophy." Rachel explained. "Principal Figgins insists he has no money for the arts, so my club and I will be working this weekend to get all the money we need."

"That is a fantastic idea, princess." Hiram said, smiling proudly at his daughter. "Both Leroy and I will take our car there on Saturday."

"Thank you so much, daddy!" Rachel smiled, clapping her hands. "Just make sure it's not too dirty."

Leroy chuckled. "Didn't you say you were going to wash it?"

"I am, but I don't want to get dirty myself." Rachel replied, shuddering at the thought of mud dripping from the car.

"I think it's a great idea, Rach. I'll be taking my car too." Shelby spoke. "How much money do you need to raise?"

"Eight thousand dollars." Rachel replied.

The three adults looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. Silently, they were choosing who would be the one to tell their daughter what the three of them were thinking.

"I don't think I heard correctly, Rach. Did you say 8,000 dollars?" Shelby confirmed.

Rachel nodded. "That's why we are having that car wash. Everyone in Glee club will be there and we'll all be washing cars."

"You'll have to wash every car in Lima, peanut." Leroy added.

"And maybe some in Elida." Hiram said.

Rachel frowned as she looked at her three parents. "We can do this. We have to do this."

"Rachel, honey, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I don't think you'll be able to get that much money. If you are lucky, you can make two thousand dollars." Shelby explained.

Rachel shook her head, as she waited for her fathers to say something, but they didn't utter a word.

"We need that money and we are going to get it. I'll make sure my club is the best and Dakota is our only choice!" Rachel urged them to see it from her side.

"I don't like this obsession with winning you are developing." Shelby calmly said. "Glee club is supposed to be fun. You get to sing along and dance with your friends every week and you get to showcase your talent, all in good spirit. You are fourteen years old, Rach, you should be thinking about how wonderful it is to get to do that three days a week for fun. You shouldn't be stressing over winning a competition."

Rachel let out a groan and slammed her fists on the table. "You don't understand! You never have and you never will!"

"There's no need for that." Shelby said, putting a hand on her daughter's knee. "We can talk about it, but not if you are going to give me that attitude."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Rachel declared.

The four members of the family ate in silence for a couple of minutes before Hiram spoke, "I was thinking that 100 dollars to have my car washed is a good price. What do you say, Leroy?"

"That's a bargain! I'd definitely pay 100 dollars for that." Leroy replied, winking at Rachel.

Shelby glared at the two men and sighed. She turned to look at her daughter who was smiling widely at her fathers and decided not to say anything.

"Thank you so much, daddies!" Rachel excitedly said.

…

Rachel was very excited on Saturday morning when her mom drove her to McKinley. It was going to be the first time the whole club got together for a good cause and Rachel was proud that she had been the one to initiate everything. She stepped out of the car, fixed her pink hairband and her long pink raincoat and smiled at the other Glee club members.

"How is everyone doing on this wonderful Saturday morning?" Rachel asked with enthusiasm. "Thank you all for volunteering! As your president, it is my job to say that without each and every one of you, this car wash would not be possible."

"Berry, shut up!" Quinn ordered. She was not a morning person and the perky girl in front of her was making her even crankier.

"Excuse me, Quinn, but I believe the others do want to hear my speech." Rachel stated.

"We don't!" Kurt added.

"Then I won't take any more of your time. Just one last thing, there is a box on that bench to put all the money in, so I would appreciate it if every bill and coin is put in there. Okay, club, let's get to work!" Rachel said, clapping her hands.

Even though every member of the club had told their friends and family to go get their car washed, very few cars showed up during the first two hours.

"Mom, are you sure you don't want me to wash your car again?" Rachel asked Shelby, who had stuck around until more people showed up.

"I've already paid to have it washed twice, honey, I'm sorry." Shelby replied. "I'm sure more people will show up later."

"Where are daddy and dad? They said they'd be here." Rachel complained.

"They're on their way." Shelby assured her daughter.

As promised, Hiram and Leroy showed up ten minutes later and they both had their car washed two times as well. They also assured Rachel that they had told everyone in their office to go there that Saturday.

By 12pm, the club was very busy. It seemed like everyone in Lima had finally woken up and had decided to drive up to McKinley to help the cause. By the time, every car left, everyone in Glee club was exhausted. They all sat down on the floor as Rachel counted how much they had made.

"How is this possible? There's only 2,150 dollars here!" Rachel said in shock. "We've been washing cars nonstop! How can we still need 5,850 dollars?"

"Let's face it, Rachel, hiring that man will be impossible now." Mercedes dejectedly commented. "We could still use that money to buy some costumes and some props."

"No. This club needs Dakota Stanley and as your president, it is my duty to make sure this club becomes the very best." Rachel said with determination. "Do you think you could ask your parents for money?"

Finn, Mercedes and Tina shook their heads.

"For Glee club? I don't think so." Quinn quickly responded.

"No way!" Santana added.

"My dad doesn't make that much money." Kurt said.

"Okay, I'll figure something out." Rachel assured them. "I'll be taking this money with me and we'll start rehearsal with Dakota Stanley next Wednesday, as previously arranged."

…

Rachel had spent the rest of the weekend thinking of ways to get more money to pay the choreographer. She had tried asking her mother for some financial help, but after the same long lecture about Glee club being just an extracurricular activity, the answer had been no. Shelby had told her not to dare ask her fathers for help, so Rachel thought going to Hiram and Leroy was out of the question. It was already Monday afternoon and she had no idea what she could do. She had to make a deposit the following morning or else, the choreographer wouldn't help her club.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like for dinner, princess?" Hiram asked his daughter, who was sitting on the couch in his living room. Shelby had asked him to pick Rachel up that day, since she had a meeting and she wouldn't be able to get to McKinley on time.

"You're cooking?" Rachel replied, surprised that Shelby wouldn't be home on time to make dinner.

"Yes, your mom is running late, so we'll be making dinner for all of us." Hiram explained.

"Can you make that spinach pasta with cheese you made last time? It was really good." Rachel asked, smiling.

"Of course we can, princess." Hiram replied, smiling back at his daughter. "Why don't you watch some tv while your dad and I cook?"

Rachel nodded and turned on the tv. She wasn't in the mood to watch anything, but she was growing tired of thinking so much and she needed a break.

"We're making spinach pasta with cheese tonight." Hiram told Leroy, who was standing in the kitchen, ready to cook.

Both men chatted for a while about some new recipes they'd watched on the Food Network and then talked about their day. They loved cooking together, since it gave them a chance to catch up on what was going on in their lives.

Rachel had the volume down on the tv, since she wanted to hear what her dads talked about. She loved listening to them chat. They were always lovingly picking on one another.

"And I went to the bank today and I deposited some extra money on our emergency card." Rachel heard Leroy tell his husband.

"The emergency card, of course." Rachel said to herself. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought about it. About a year ago, her dads had told her that they had an account in the bank intended for emergencies and they had showed her where she could find the card in case it was needed.

Rachel stood up from the couch and walked up the stairs to Hiram's study. She opened the bottom drawer and inside a box, she found her fathers' emergency card. She smiled and was about to put it in her pocket when a voice inside her head told her to put it back in the drawer. She bit her lip and sighed, putting the card back in the box and closing the drawer. But there was an invisible force that wouldn't let her get away from the drawer. She opened it again and stared at the card.

"_This an emergency. My whole career depends on Dakota Stanley being there on Wednesday to help us with our choreography." _Rachel thought as she continued staring at the card. _"This is our first competition and if we make a fool out of ourselves, it could ruin my whole career."_

Rachel gasped as she realized the implications of losing Sectionals and took the card. _"I will not be stuck in this town. I refuse to be a Lima loser. This is an emergency. My future self will thank me for having made this brilliant decision."_

Rachel smiled and nodded, as she placed the card in her pocket. _"I was born to be a star and a few thousand dollars won't stand in my way."_

Rachel closed the drawer and walked downstairs. As she was about to sit on the couch again, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get the door!" Rachel spoke, as she opened the door. "Hi, mom."

"Hi, honey." Shelby gave her daughter a hug and then said, "I'm sorry I'm late!"

"You're right on time. Dinner should be ready in five minutes." Hiram spoke walking out of the kitchen. "How was the meeting?"

Shelby yawned. "Long and boring."

Leroy poured a glass of red wine for Shelby and offered it to her. "It sounds like you need this."

Shelby nodded as she took a sip and smiled. "Exactly what I needed."

"Can I have some? I also had a long and boring day." Rachel declared.

"Of course you can, honey …" Shelby started to say and received surprised looks from her daughter and the two men. "You can have some … when you turn 21."

Rachel pouted. "That is so unfair! As a future Broadway actress I should gain more life experience. How can I go to New York and say I have never tried any wine?"

"As a future Broadway actress, you'll have the chance to try some wine when you go to a cast party. But as a present Lima teenager, you won't have any alcohol and that's not up for discussion." Shelby said.

Rachel sighed and stomped to the kitchen. "Can I at least have some cranberry juice and pretend it's red wine? I could at least work on my acting skills."

"You can do that, Rach." Shelby replied, shaking her head at how dramatic her daughter was.

"Dinner is served. Special pasta for my special princess." Hiram stated as he brought the dish of pasta to the table. "Bon Appetit."

...

"I have made a deposit of 5,800 dollars and if it is okay with you, I will be paying the other amount on Wednesday when you come to McKinley High School." Rachel said on the phone. "Yes, it is a public High School, but our Glee club is very talented, especially Rachel Berry … Yes, I am aware I said that is my name. You are speaking to a future Broadway star … Yes, I can assure you that we have all the money you requested. Thank you, Mr. Stanley. I am looking forward to working with you."

"Who were you talking to this early, Rach?" Shelby asked. She was just walking up the stairs to tell her daughter it was time to go to school when she saw her daughter leaving her bedroom with the phone in her hands.

"Oh mom, you scared me!" Rachel spoke, putting her hand on her chest. "I was just coming downstairs."

"Who were you on the phone with?" Shelby insisted.

"Kurt. Kurt Hummel. He's my Science partner and I wanted to make sure he remembered we needed to bring some material to work in class with." Rachel explained.

"Oh, you didn't tell me you needed to buy something for school." Shelby replied.

"No. Kurt said he'd buy everything." Rachel said with a smile. "Can we go now? I don't want to be late."

Shelby nodded and climbed down the stairs with her daughter. She felt there was something she wasn't being told, but she didn't read too much into it. "Sure, let's go."

…

Rachel had been in a wonderful mood the whole day, and she couldn't wait to tell her fellow club members that she had managed to hire Dakota Stanley.

"Rachel, stop! What's wrong with you? It's as if you had ants in your pants." Kurt whispered at Rachel during class.

"I'm just extremely happy, Kurt. We will become National champions this year." Rachel whispered back.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked, already regretting having talked to the diva in the middle of class.

"I'll tell you in five minutes in Glee." Rachel replied with a smile.

"Okay, class. That is all for today. Don't forget to turn in your lab report before you leave." Ms. Harrison said.

Rachel left the classroom in a rush to beat everyone to the choir room. She sat down on her usual seat and waited for everyone to show up. The first one to arrive was Mr. Schuester and little by little every club member took their seat.

"Mr. Schuester, I have an announcement to make." Rachel said, standing up and walking to the center of the room. "This morning, I spoke to Mr. Dakota Stanley and he has agreed to come tomorrow and start helping us with our dance steps."

"How did you manage to talk him into only charging us two grand?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm sure she called and talked his ear off. He must've agreed to any price as long as Berry quit talking." Santana added.

"Rachel, we don't need any help." Mr. Schue said.

Rachel ignored her teacher and spoke to her classmates. "As a matter of fact, we are paying him full price. I didn't want him to think we were less of a club because we couldn't afford his services, so I managed to get some money and it's all settled."

"Did you rob a bank?" Brittany asked. "You'd be a great thief. You are so short than nobody would be able to see you."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Where I got the money is unimportant. What matters is that we are a step closer to that trophy and it's all because of me, your president, who is always seeking the best for her club."

Finn clapped and encouraged everyone to do the same. However, Brittany was the only one who clapped along with him.

"Mr. Schue, you are going to become a show choir legend." Rachel assured him. "You'll see."

While Rachel was in Glee, Hiram got home from work. He had just opened his bank statement when his husband arrived. "Leroy? Didn't you say you had deposited some extra money on our card yesterday?" Hiram wondered, as he checked his balance on the computer.

"I did. I made a deposit of 1200 dollars. Hasn't it gone through yet?" Leroy asked, standing behind Hiram and putting his hands on his husband's shoulders.

"Look at this. The bank must've made a mistake." Hiram said, moving his head so Leroy could see what he was looking at. "It says our balance is 2,400 dollars."

"That cannot be right." Leroy stated. "I checked our balance at the bank yesterday and we had seven grand before the deposit was made. Our balance should be 8,200."

Hiram glanced at his watch and turned the computer off. "The bank's still open. What do you say we pay them a visit so they can explain what they did to our savings?"

"Let me just get the papers from that deposit I made." Leroy said, going up to the study. "Let's go."

When Hiram and Leroy left the bank, they both felt as if someone had kicked them on the stomach. At first, they had refused to believe what they had been told, but deep down they knew they had to face the fact that the bank hadn't made any mistakes.

"What are we going to do?" Hiram asked with a mixture of disappointment and anger.

"We are going to talk to Shelby and explain what happened and we will deal with this together." Leroy replied, putting a hand on his husband's shoulder to comfort him.

"I don't think I had ever been this crestfallen. She stole from us, Leroy!" Hiram exclaimed.

Leroy sighed and shook his head. "I know. I can't believe it either."

…

Rachel smiled all throughout Glee practice and she grinned as she walked to the car, but her smile turned into a frown when she got in her mother's car and she noticed the stern look on Shelby's face.

"Put on your seatbelt." Shelby said with no emotion in her voice. She knew that if she looked at her daughter in that moment, she was going to explode. The blood was boiling in her veins, and she was doing her best not to yell at Rachel.

"Is everything okay, mom?" Rachel asked, after driving in silence for five minutes.

"We'll talk when we get home." Shelby answered.

Rachel took another glance at Shelby and shrugged. "Oookay."

The rest of the drive was silent. Rachel could tell her mother was angry, but she wasn't sure why. Had something happened at work? Had one of her students made her that upset?

"Do you have any homework?" Shelby asked, parking in the driveway.

"Only Math." Rachel said.

"Go into the dining room and do it there." Shelby ordered, noticing the protest forming in her daughter's lips. "This is not up for discussion, Rachel. You will do your homework in the dining room and when your dads arrive, we are all going to have a long talk."

"My dads are coming over?" Rachel asked surprised. She had just seen them the day before and nobody had mentioned they'd be having dinner together again.

"Yes, as I said, the four of us need to talk." Shelby replied, locking the car and unlocking the front door. She noticed Rachel started to walk towards the stairs, and in a swift move, she grabbed Rachel's arm and redirected her to the dining room. "Homework. Now."

Rachel did as she was told and sat down at the table. She took out her Math homework and started to work on it as she tried to figure out why her mom was acting that way. As she was working on the last Math problem, she was startled by the doorbell ringing. Shelby rushed to the door and welcomed the two men inside.

"Hi, daddy!" Rachel ran to hug Hiram, but she was surprised when instead of a hug, she received a stern look from the man and a cold hello. Leroy gave her the same look as he walked into the house.

"Is your homework done?" Shelby asked.

Rachel nodded as she tried to read her three parents' matching expressions. Shelby took her daughter's notebook, put it inside the backpack on the table and placed it in the closet. Then, she took a seat on the chair across from where Rachel had been sitting while doing her homework. Leroy and Hiram did the same.

"Sit down, Rachel." Shelby ordered.

After a minute of silence, Hiram finally spoke, "Where is it, Rachel?"

"Where's what, daddy?" Rachel asked, feeling confused.

"Rachel Barbra, you are already in big trouble. I will suggest not digging yourself into deeper trouble." Shelby said.

"I honestly have no idea what you are all talking about." Rachel replied. "Why am I in trouble? I haven't done anything wrong."

"We believe you took something from our house last night?" Leroy pushed Rachel into admitting what she had done.

Rachel stared at her parents for a couple of seconds before it hit her. "Is this about the card?"

"Where is our card, Rachel?" Hiram insisted.

"It's in my room. Do you want me to get it?" Rachel asked. She still didn't understand why her parents were looking at her with such menacing eyes.

"No. What I want you to do is explain why you stole from us." Hiram demanded in a tone Rachel had never heard before.

"I didn't steal anything. I had an emergency and you told me that card was for an emergency, so I just took it like you once told me I could." Rachel explained, outraged at the accusation.

"What was that emergency exactly, Rachel?" Shelby inquired, though she already knew the answer.

"My Glee club was in danger of being humiliated at Sectionals and I had to save us from that horrible embarrassment." Rachel dramatically responded.

"And you thought that was the kind of emergency your dad and I were talking about when we told you about the card?" Hiram asked.

"My whole future depended on it!" Rachel exclaimed dramatically. "My whole career could've been ruined even before it launched! I didn't do anything wrong. You told me the card was for emergencies and this was one."

Hiram shook his head as he glanced at Leroy and then at Shelby. For the first time in fourteen years, he wanted to shake some sense into his daughter. He had scolded Rachel before, but he had never been that upset.

"You really do not think that taking our card without permission and spending thousands of dollars was wrong?" Leroy asked trying to control the volume of his voice, as he had never yelled at Rachel before.

"It was an emergency." Rachel insisted.

"We are not getting anywhere with this." Shelby proclaimed. "We'll talk about what is considered an emergency and what isn't later. Rachel, when did you take your dads' card?"

"Last night." Rachel replied.

"Why didn't you come to us and ask us if you could use the card?" Hiram asked.

Rachel shrugged as she bit her bottom lip.

"Rachel, you are a very smart girl, and I know that you can tell right from wrong. Did you ever stop to think that what you were doing might not be the right thing to do?" Shelby inquired. She knew her daughter very well, and even though the girl could be impulsive, she wasn't usually scheming or cunning, so Shelby was hoping she could appeal to her daughter's sense of responsibility.

Rachel looked down as she nervously thought of an answer. "I-I needed the money."

"Why didn't you talk to us and explain why getting that money was so important to you?" Hiram questioned.

"I did talk to mom, but she refused to give me the money I needed." Rachel replied, glaring at Shelby.

"You know I will always provide for you and give you what you need, within reason." Shelby said. "Giving you over five thousand dollars was not within reason."

"My whole future …" Rachel started to speak, but she was interrupted by her mother.

"I don't want to hear about your future anymore, Rachel." Shelby snapped. "We will have a lengthy conversation about that later."

"We agree with your mother. Five grand is a lot of money. No fourteen year old girl should ever need that amount of money." Hiram remarked.

Rachel was getting tired of being lectured. Deep down, she knew that not asking her dads if she could use the card had not been right, but she refused to acknowledge it. In her mind, she only did what needed to be done.

Rachel took a deep breath and apologized. She figured that was what she needed to do in order for her parents to stop lecturing her. "I'm sorry for not having told you I'd be using the card to pay for Mr. Stanley's services."

"You're sorry for not telling us you'd be using the card?" Hiram confirmed as he realized his daughter didn't truly comprehend the seriousness of what she had done.

"Is that all you are sorry about, Rachel?" Shelby prompted.

Rachel nodded hesitantly. She wasn't sorry she had used the card to pay for what she needed. After all, that was what the card was for, wasn't it? She had had an emergency and that card was called an emergency card.

"Rachel Barbra, you took a card that was not yours to take and you spent the money your dads had saved for an emergency to pay for some choreographer for an after school club …" Shelby started to say.

"It's not an after school club, it's my whole life!" Rachel declared, raising her voice.

Shelby raised an eyebrow and gave her daughter a look that made Rachel gulp and fidget on her chair.

"I'm sorry I took the card without permission. Once I become a star, you'll see it all as a very good investment in my career." Rachel told her dads.

"Rachel, I am afraid we cannot see it as an investment." Hiram explained. "The way we see it is as you deceiving us and taking advantage of both your dad and me. And that is unacceptable."

"But …" Rachel interrupted.

Hiram shook his head as he lifted his hand, signaling he was not done. "We are very disappointed in your choices, Rachel. Your dad, your mom and I have talked about it and we have all agreed there have to be consequences."

"But daddy, I …" Rachel tried to interrupt again.

"You are coming to work at the office with me every day after school. We have many documents and papers that need sorting and filing and you will be doing that for the next two weeks. You need to learn that money does not grow on trees, Rachel. I am hoping this will make you think about your actions." Hiram said in a serious tone.

Rachel was shocked. Her dad had never punished her. He had raised his voice a few times and he had once told her she was walking on thin ice, but he had never looked so serious. "But daddy, I won't have any time to do my homework if I spend the whole afternoon there!"

"You'll have plenty of time, Rachel. I will be picking you up at 3 o'clock every day and you should be home by 7 every evening." Hiram explained.

"At 3 o'clock? No! What about Glee?" Rachel asked.

Hiram took a deep breath and added, "You won't be attending Glee club for two weeks."

"No, no, no, please. I am really sorry!" Rachel begged with tears in her eyes. "Please don't make me miss Glee, daddy, it's my life. Please."

Shelby noticed that as serious as Hiram and Leroy looked, they would start losing momentum and they would falter if Rachel began to cry. She grabbed Hiram's hand and squeezed it to give him strength, to assure him he was doing a great job.

"I am sorry, Rachel, but you have to face the consequences of your actions." Hiram told his daughter, trying to sound stern, even if he was struggling with it.

"Please, anything but that!" Rachel continued begging. "Daddy. Dad. Mom. Please! This is not fair."

"Rachel, that's enough!" Shelby scolded. "Your dads have chosen this punishment for taking the card and spending all that money and I agree with it one hundred percent. You won't be going to Glee for two weeks and you will be spending the afternoon working with your dad. There is no room for discussion here."

"Glee is all I have." Rachel dejectedly expressed.

"That statement is the reason why we think these two weeks without Glee will be beneficial for you." Shelby stated. "You need to see that there's more to life than that club."

Rachel sighed. She was getting frustrated that her parents didn't understand what was going on, why she thought Glee was the most important thing for her. "I have to be there tomorrow when Mr. Stanley arrives. He will be expecting to see me."

"He won't be going to your school tomorrow, Rachel." Shelby said. "As soon as we finish this talk, I you are going to give me his number and I am going to cancel everything."

"No, mom, you can't do that!" Rachel panicked. "I've already told everyone he was going to help us."

"Rachel, this is not up for discussion." Hiram declared. "The only reason why you will not be making that call is because we believe one of us could be more assertive and we could get our money back."

"If you're getting your money back, why am I missing Glee club and going to your office, then?" Rachel asked. "I thought I needed to earn back that money."

"Oh no, princess, you are not getting paid. Even if you were, you would need to work for at least six months to earn that money back, not two weeks." Hiram explained. "You will be coming with me as punishment for what you did."

"Okay, can I go to my room now?" Rachel asked, standing up. "I need to make a list for Mr. Schuester with all the ideas I have for sectionals, since you won't let me be there to talk about them in person."

"We're not done. Sit down." Shelby said.

"What else is there to talk about? You're already ruining my life!" Rachel yelled, rushing to the stairs.

Shelby was used to her daughter's tantrums, so as soon as her daughter stormed out, she stood up and rushed to the stairs herself. Upon reaching the second step, Shelby grabbed Rachel's arm and dragged her back to the living room. "Sit down!"

Rachel noticed her mother's left hand was getting ready to swat her, so before Shelby had the chance to do anything, Rachel sat down and glared at her dads. She still couldn't believe they were completely on Shelby's side.

"Let's talk about this morning." Shelby said after a minute of silence. "Were you on the phone with Mr. Stanley when you told me you were talking to Kurt Hummel?"

Rachel knew how her mother felt about lying and considered telling her the truth right away, but at the same time, she didn't want to give her parents any more reasons to be mad at her. She thought of all the times she'd have to be convincing in a play, took a deep breath and said, "No, I was talking to Kurt about our Science project."

Shelby narrowed her eyes to assess whether her daughter was lying or not. "How did it go? What did you have to do?"

"Just Science things." Rachel replied. She had in fact had to work on a project, but she had been so excited about telling the club she had managed to hire Dakota Stanley that she hadn't paid much attention.

"What Science things?" Shelby insisted.

"What's with the third degree, mom?" Rachel asked in a rude tone.

"Rachel Barbra …" Hiram warned.

"Were you on the phone with Kurt?" Shelby asked again.

Rachel let out an angry sigh and answered, "I was on the phone with Mr. Stanley. I needed to tell him I had made the deposit. It doesn't matter now, though, since you will be taking that and my whole credibility away."

"So you lied to me?" Shelby confirmed.

"It was a little white lie, mom." Rachel replied, nonchalantly.

"I didn't realize lies came in different colors, Rachel. In this house, a lie is a lie. There is not a color spectrum to define them." Shelby said in a serious tone.

Rachel tried to control the urge to roll her eyes; she didn't want to make her mother even angrier. "I'm sorry. I knew you'd yell if I told you the truth. Am I also in trouble for that?"

"What do you think, Rachel? You're in trouble for all those bad decisions you have made this week. In one week, you lied to us, you stole from your dads and you schemed a whole plan to get your way."

Rachel looked down and sighed. She could clearly see her three parents were very angry at her and she wanted to avoid making them angrier. Besides, she was starting to realize everything she had indeed done. "I'm sorry."

"Do you understand why we are so disappointed, Rachel?" Leroy asked.

Rachel nodded as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "I am really sorry. I-I didn't mean to lie. And I swear I never meant to steal from you. I just wanted my club to be the best."

"We understand that, honey, but there are better ways to do that." Shelby explained. "You could've talked to us. You could've told your dads that you wanted to use their card to pay for those lessons."

Rachel glanced at Hiram. "Daddy, would you have said yes?"

Hiram shook his head. "I'm sorry, princess, but it's too much money. You know how much I like seeing that pretty smile of yours when you get something you want, but I am afraid this time, the answer was going to be no."

Rachel wiped a few tears and looked at her hands. "Can we talk about my punishment? Daddy, how about I go to the office with you for three weeks instead of two, but you pick me up at 5 instead of 3 some days?"

Shelby shook her head. She couldn't believe her daughter was trying to negotiate. Hiram let out a soft chuckle as he also shook his head, giving Rachel a stern look.

"Please, daddy, I promise I will never use your card without permission again." Rachel begged.

"This is not up for negotiation, Rachel." Hiram declared.

"Please, please, please." Rachel continued begging, giving their dads a pitiful look that always worked on them.

"Rachel Barbra, that's enough! As your dad has said, this is not up for negotiation." Shelby stated in a stern tone. "You are going to go to his office at 3 every day of the week for two weeks as punishment for taking the card and spending that amount of money. We still need to address the lying and the apparent lack of remorse. What you did was extremely serious, Rachel, and the consequences need to be just as serious."

Rachel wasn't expecting the lecture to run much longer. She couldn't believe her mother still wanted to continue talking. "What do you mean?"

"We are going to order some dinner and after dinner, you and I are going to continue our conversation." Shelby said. "We'll talk about why lying is wrong, we'll talk about what constitutes a real emergency and I'll make sure you understand why everything you did this week was wrong."

Rachel looked at her mother suspiciously and said, "We don't need to talk about that, mom. I understand and I am really sorry."

"I can see you are reflecting on it already, Rachel, but we are still going to talk about it and then, I'm afraid you've earned yourself a spanking." Shelby said.

"No, please, mom!" Rachel pleaded blushing. She couldn't believe her mother had announced that punishment in front of her dads. She looked down and refused to make eye contact with her parents.

Shelby knew her daughter very well and knew exactly what was going through her head. "Rachel, honey, look at me. There is no need to be embarrassed. Your dads and I also talked about this, and the three of us decided a spanking would also be part of your punishment."

Rachel continued shaking her head as she argued. "But I'm already 14 years old …"

"I know you think you are too old, but Rachel, you are still a kid. A kid who made a mistake and now has to face the consequences of her actions." Shelby said.

"Mom, I've learned my lesson. I swear I have, please." Rachel implored.

"I am sorry, Rachel, but everything you have done this week has been unacceptable and it is our job to make sure you learn from your mistakes. We have agreed this is how you are going to be punished." Shelby declared in a serious tone. "Now, how about you go and call that Chinese place you like so much and order some dinner?"

Rachel pouted and stood up. She couldn't believe her brilliant plan had gotten her into so much trouble. She couldn't believe she was going to have to miss Glee practice for two weeks and on top of that, she was going to be spanked. She sighed as she thought about how unfair everything was.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Rachel was too concerned about what was going to happen after dinner, so she didn't eat much. Both Leroy and Hiram were still trying to calm down and convince themselves that what they had done was the right thing. Shelby was trying to make small talk, but she knew everyone was in their own world, so she ended up eating in silence as well.

Right after everyone had finished dinner, Hiram and Leroy got up and announced they had to leave. They exchanged some words with Shelby and then, Hiram turned to his daughter. "I love you, princess."

"Really? Do you still love me, daddy?" Rachel's voice trembled as she asked the question.

"Of course I do. Nothing will ever change that." Hiram replied, giving Rachel a big hug.

Leroy walked to where his husband and Rachel were and joined the hug. "We love you so much."

Rachel cried a little in their arms and apologized before they walked out the door.

"Rach, while I finish up in the kitchen and I call Mr. Stanley, I want you to go take a shower and wait for me in your room to finish our discussion, okay?" Shelby instructed.

"Mom, do you really have to do that? I promise I'll never do it again." Rachel pleaded one last time. "Please, mom."

Shelby sighed and looked sadly at her daughter. "I'm afraid you deserve the spanking you're getting, sweetie. Everything will be forgiven afterwards and we can put all this behind us."

Rachel nodded. She knew there was no point in arguing and begging anymore. Defeated, she walked up the stairs and got into the shower. Her heart was pounding as the tears in her eyes were flowing freely. She started to think about everything she was in trouble for and she suddenly got overridden with guilt. She took as much time in the shower as she could, trying to postpone the inevitable punishment, and then got dressed in her favorite pajamas. She took a deep breath as she walked into her room and sat down on the bed. She knew her mom would come into her room very soon.

Shelby knocked softly on her daughter's door and opened it slowly. She knew Rachel would be lost in her thoughts and she didn't want to startle the girl. She walked into the room, sat down next to Rachel and gave her a kiss on the head. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

Rachel looked sadly at her mom and pouted. Deep down, she was still hoping Shelby would change her mind. She shrugged and leaned on her mom's shoulder. "Mom, you really don't need to do this."

"I'm sorry, honey, but I do. You have earned this spanking." Shelby replied, copying her daughter's pout. "But we need to talk about a couple of things before we do this. You lied to me and your dads and you know that is not acceptable. You know how much I hate being lied to and I don't want to start losing my trust in you."

"You can trust me, mom. I-I was just …" Rachel bit her lip and sighed. She didn't know what to say. "I don't want to become that shepherd boy."

Shelby frowned and looked at Rachel quizzically. She wasn't sure what her daughter was talking about. "What shepherd boy?"

"When I was little, you read me a story about the boy who cried wolf and nobody believed him when it was for real and the wolf ate all the sheep." Rachel explained. "I remember that story, mom, and I don't want to become that shepherd boy."

Shelby was surprised that Rachel still remembered that story. She had read her the Aesop's fable after Rachel had been caught in a lie when she was seven years old. "I'm glad you remember that story, Rach. I wouldn't want to start doubting everything you tell me."

Rachel nodded as she looked at her mom through her tears. "I'm really sorry, mom."

Shelby accepted the apology and then continued her lecture. "I said that we would be talking about what constitutes an emergency. I know that you don't think you stole from your dads, but taking that card without permission and spending all that money was stealing, especially because what you used it for was not an emergency. Can you tell me what a real emergency is?"

"A medical emergency?" Rachel guessed. "A fire?"

Shelby nodded and smiled proudly. "Yes, those are real emergencies. A High School Glee club certainly isn't."

"But my whole career …" Rachel started to say, but was interrupted by her mother's raised eyebrow.

"That is something else we need to address. Rachel, you are fourteen years old. You are still too young to be thinking about your career. I love that you are so passionate about singing and I am proud that you know what you want to do when you grow up, but you are still a kid, and I want you to enjoy these years you have left before you move to New York and you take Broadway by storm." Shelby said. "Your whole life cannot revolve around Broadway and around that club."

Rachel wanted to argue, but she knew it was not the right moment to do so. "I just want to be someone."

"You are already someone, honey. You mean the world to me and your dads. You are smart and witty and kind. You are already special, Rach." Shelby said.

"Thank you, mom." Rachel said, giving Shelby a shy smile.

"Okay, it's time." Shelby stated, moving Rachel so she was lying over her lap. She could feel how nervous and tense her daughter was, so she gently rubbed Rachel's back for a minute. Once she felt her daughter had calmed down, Shelby pulled down Rachel's pajama bottoms and underwear. She took a deep breath and raised her left hand. It wasn't the first time she had to do that, but it was just as difficult as the first time. She hated being the one inflicting pain upon her daughter, but she knew how much a spanking helped Rachel think about her wrongdoings.

Rachel tensed when she felt her mom getting ready to start and whimpered when her mom's left hand fell on her unprotected bottom. She tried to remain still, but as the swats started to build on one another, she started to squirm in order to avoid her mother's punishing hand.

"Ow! Mom, please, I'm sorry!" Rachel cried, as she squirmed back and forth.

Shelby pulled her daughter closer to her and continued swatting her daughter's bottom. She sniffed back a few tears that were threatening to fall down and took another deep breath. She was no longer angry, and she hated punishing her daughter, but she needed to make sure her daughter understood what she had done wrong.

"Rachel, why are you getting this spanking?" Shelby asked, halting the swats for a minute. She could see her daughter's bottom was already a uniform pink and she didn't want to continue until Rachel told her why she was in that position.

"I-I lied and I-I took my dads' card." Rachel replied, sobbing.

"That's right. You took your dads 'card without permission and you spent thousands of dollars you were not supposed to." Shelby said, as two swats were rattled off. "Then, you schemed a plan so we wouldn't find out and you lied to all of us."

"I'm so sorry, mommy." Rachel cried. "It hurts!"

"I don't like having to punish you this way, and I really hope I don't need to do this again, but I will if I have to, do you understand?" Shelby gave Rachel six final swats, three to each sit spot before pulling her daughter's underwear and pajama bottoms back into place. She got Rachel into a comfortable position in her arms and hugged her while the repentant girl sobbed.

"I'm so sorry, mommy" Rachel said again, between sobs.

"You're forgiven, sweetie." Shelby said, sweetly, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "It's all over."

"It really hurts." Rachel expressed, pouting.

"I know it does, honey. I hope it makes you think twice about the choices you make." Shelby replied. "I love you so much, Rachel."

"I love you too, mom." Rachel answered as she yawned. "I am so sorry."

Shelby held her daughter closer and softly said, "No more apologies. Everything is forgiven."

"Mom, I …" Rachel started to say, but she shook her head before she completed her statement.

"What is it, baby?" Shelby asked.

"Nothing." Rachel said, sighing.

"I know there's something on your mind." Shelby expressed as she gently ran her fingers through Rachel's hair.

"It's silly …" Rachel declared. "Would you stay here with me tonight?"

"Oh that's not silly, baby. Of course I will." Shelby responded. "I just need to change and brush my teeth, but I will stay here all night if that's what you want."

Rachel nodded and smiled shyly at her mother. "That's what I want."

"Okay, then, let's get you to bed." Shelby said, helping Rachel get into bed. "I'll be right back."

By the time Shelby walked back into her daughter's bedroom and got into bed, Rachel had already closed her eyes and was no longer crying. She kissed her daughter's head and laid her head on the pillow.

"Thank you, mommy." Rachel mumbled in a half-asleep state.

"I love you with all my heart, baby." Shelby said, before closing her eyes and falling asleep next to the person who meant the world to her. Being a mother was sometimes difficult, but she wouldn't change it for anything in the world.


	5. Lessons Learned

**I want to apologize, because I know it has taken me ages to update this story. Life has been pretty hectic, but I promise I am still writing and I will continue updating my stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and the PMs!**

**...**

Rachel walked down the halls of McKinley with one goal in mind. She needed to convince the Glee Club members that having Dakota Stanley as a choreographer would be detrimental for the club and that was the reason why she had decided to tell him they wouldn't need his services anymore. She couldn't allow them to know she had gotten in trouble the night before and her parents had actually been the ones who had called the choreographer. Her reputation as a leader was at stake.

"Does anyone know why Berry asked us to meet her here?" Santana asked. She was annoyed that she had been forced to have a Glee Club meeting so early in the morning.

Kurt was about to answer Santana's question when Rachel walked into the room, stood in her usual spot and cleared her throat.

"Fellow Glee Club members, I have asked you to meet me here this morning, because we have an urgent matter to discuss. I am aware that I pushed all of you into hiring Mr. Stanley as a choreographer, but I have come to the realization that we do not need very complicated choreographies to win. We have one thing the other clubs do not have: my voice." Rachel explained. "We do not need to rely on elaborate dance steps to win. That is the reason why I have decided to tell Mr. Stanley we won't be requiring his services as a choreographer anymore."

"Wait a minute, midget. That decision has to be made by the entire club. Who are you to decide who to hire and who to fire?" Santana asked, walking menacingly towards Rachel as everyone agreed and nodded.

"I am the president of this club, Santana. And I know what's best for us." Rachel said, trying not to appear scared.

"Where's our money, then?" Puck asked. "If that dude is not coming anymore, I want my share of the money you kept."

"Noah, I cannot do that. We need new costumes and I believe we should invest in some vocal lessons for some of you." Rachel declared. "As much practice as some of you get here every afternoon, it's not enough and for the sake of our club, I believe some of you should take extra lessons."

"May I ask who is it that you think needs extra lessons?" Mercedes asked. She was outraged by the statement.

"Not you, of course, Mercedes. Even though your vocal range is not as wide as mine, you do have talent." Rachel admitted. "And so do you, Kurt."

Quinn was about to speak when Mr. Schuester walked into the room. "Why is everyone here? The bell is about to ring."

"It's Rachel's fault. She had an 'urgent matter' to discuss." Quinn explained.

"You can all tell me about it later. Come on, guys, you need to go to class." Will said.

"Mr. Schuester, can I speak with you?" Rachel inquired. "I am afraid I won't be able to attend Glee Club this week. Something has come up and I have been asked to help one of my fathers after school."

"Is everything okay with him, Rachel?" Will asked in a concerned tone.

"It is, yes. He simply needs an extra hand at work and you know how much I love my dad, so I volunteered to help him." Rachel explained.

"That is very noble of you, Rachel." Will said, trying his best to hide his disappointment. The petite diva might be loud and disruptive, but she was the one who held the club together. "We are going to miss you, especially now that we are getting ready for Sectionals."

"I can still come here in between classes and we could rehearse during lunch break." Rachel suggested. "We could ask everyone to skip lunch and come here."

"No, I don't think that would be wise." Will replied. "It'll only be for a week, right?"

Rachel nodded. She had been told she would have to miss practice for two weeks, but she was sure she could change Hiram's mind. "It'll only be for a week."

…

"Have you prepared a song for this week's lesson?" Kurt whispered to his Chemistry lab partner. "I was thinking about Single Ladies, what do you think?"

"I don't think that fits your range, Kurt." Rachel remarked. "But you can do any song you want. I won't have any say in it this week."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

Both Rachel and Kurt were so involved in their own conversation that they didn't see their Chemistry teacher walking their way until she approached their desk and said, "Mr. Hummel and Miss Berry, since you are so eager to talk, why don't you come to the front and present your experiment to the class?"

"We, uh, we're not done." Kurt admitted.

"Very well. You can finish that report in detention this afternoon." Ms. Harrison stated.

"No, please, Ms. Harrison. Please don't give us detention." Rachel begged, which surprised Kurt and everyone in the class. "We are almost finished. We were only discussing some final details. Let us present it tomorrow, please."

"Miss Berry, you and Mr. Hummel …"

"Please, Ms. Harrison." Rachel pleaded. She couldn't go to detention that afternoon. She couldn't be in trouble again.

"Alright, alright. You can present it tomorrow, but I want you two to work on your experiment and save the gossip for later." Eve Harrison instructed.

Rachel nodded. "Thank you so much."

…

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Rachel walked dejectedly towards her locker. She walked past the choir room and sighed as she saw Finn and Quinn already sitting on the chairs waiting for Mr. Schuester. She wanted to go inside for a minute, but she decided against it. She needed to show her parents she understood why she had been grounded. Taking one last look inside the choir room, she walked towards the parking lot. She was expecting to find Hiram waiting inside the car, but he was in fact waiting by the door.

"Hi, daddy." Rachel said, sadly.

"How was school today, honey?" Hiram asked, taking Rachel's backpack and giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

Rachel shrugged. "It was just like any other school day."

"Shall we go inside?" Hiram said.

Rachel frowned. Why did her dad want to go inside? She thought they were going to his office. "Inside?"

"I believe I need to talk to your teacher and explain why you won't be able to rehearse with your club for two weeks." Hiram explained.

"No!" Rachel exclaimed. "No, daddy, you don't need to do that. I talked to Mr. Schuester this morning and I explained the situation. He was quite disappointed, but he said he understood."

Hiram was surprised at his daughter's statement. "I am glad he understood. And I am very proud of you, princess, for having gone to him and having explained what happened."

"I've had some time to think about it and I understand why you had to do this, daddy. I know that what I did was wrong." Rachel admitted, hoping her dad believed every word she was saying. She had told Will she would come back in a week, so she needed to start appealing to Hiram's good heart.

Hiram smiled sweetly at his daughter, as he put his arm around her and led her to the car. "I am glad you understand, honey. This will be hard for both of us, but we'll get through it."

Rachel nodded. "So, what exactly will I be doing? I'm afraid I am not entirely familiar with what you do, daddy."

"I'll explain everything once we get there." Hiram said, opening the car door for Rachel.

Hiram and Rachel drove in silence for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts, until Rachel decided the silence was too much for her. "Can I turn on the radio?"

"You are not banned from music, honey." Hiram responded. "In fact, there is a CD in the glove compartment that I am sure you're going to love."

"The Complete Works of Stephen Sondheim!" Rachel exclaimed. "This is amazing, daddy! Can we listen to it, please?"

"Of course we can." Hiram said, smiling. He realized that he might be sending Rachel mixed messages, but he didn't want their drive from school to work to be a nightmare for both of them.

"Does this mean you're no longer angry at me?" Rachel asked.

"I was never angry, Rach. I was disappointed, but I know these next two weeks will make you learn that lesson your dad, your mom and I want you to learn." Hiram explained. "Once we get into the office, it'll be all business, but nobody says we cannot have a little fun in the car, right?"

"Thank you, daddy." Rachel said, choosing the first song she wanted to sing. "How about if we start by listening to 'Send In The Clowns'?"

…

"Okay, Rachel, I need you to sit at this desk and sort these papers according to the date they were received." Hiram instructed, presenting his daughter with a high pile of documents. "Once you're done, I'll tell you what you need to do next."

"This will take me forever, daddy!" Rachel whined.

"Well, you have until 7 tonight and if you don't finish, you can continue tomorrow." Hiram said, trying to remain firm. "I have a meeting in five minutes, but I expect you to stay at this desk working until I come back, understood?"

Rachel sighed and nodded. When had her father become so serious?

As soon as Hiram walked away, Rachel started looking at the documents in front of her. Everything looked so boring. She thought she could just imagine she had been cast as a secretary on a Broadway show and she was just playing that role. Yes, that would work. She started humming a song as she sorted the first five documents. She looked back at the pile in front of her and exhaled loudly. She couldn't spend the whole afternoon sitting at that desk. She stood up and stomped her foot, as she started singing 'It's The Hard Knock Life'. She was on the second verse when one of Hiram's co-workers walked by the desk and smiled at the sight of the teenager singing.

"You must be Rachel." Robert said. "My name is Robert. I work with your dad."

"Nice to meet you." Rachel replied.

"Your father is right. You are very talented." Robert added. "What was that song you were just singing?"

"It was a song from the Broadway musical Annie." Rachel explained. "I don't usually sing those songs, though. My repertoire is much wider. I can sing everything from Cabaret to Wicked or Phantom of the Opera."

Robert chuckled. Hiram's daughter was everything he had always pictured her to be and more. He didn't have time to respond to Rachel's previous statement, since the young diva interrupted his thoughts by saying, "Let me show you."

Rachel started to sing and soon, everyone who worked at the office was assembled in front of her watching the impromptu show.

_Lady peaceful, Lady happy _

_That's what I want to be_

_All of the odds are _

_They're in my favor _

_Something's bound to begin_

_Maybe this time_

Rachel was interrupted by Hiram's voice, talking to everyone at the office. "The show is over. Please go back to work."

"Daddy!" Rachel protested.

Hiram waited until everyone had gone back to their desks to give his daughter a stern look. "I thought I told you I expected you to stay at the desk and sort those papers."

"I was doing that, but I realized it was a waste of my talent." Rachel stated. "Everyone was enjoying watching me sing, daddy."

"Rachel, this is not the place or the time to put on a show. You are being punished and I realize that sorting papers is a very boring job, but that's exactly the point. We need you to think about why you have found yourself in this position, why you are here doing a mindless job instead of singing with your club." Hiram emphasized. "I know that I allowed you to sing in the car and I joined you and we laughed, but I was very clear when I said that once we got here, it would be all business."

"But daddy …" Rachel interrupted.

"No, Rachel, I am not done. You will sit at that desk and you will start doing what I asked you to do. I would hate to see you miss Glee Club for three weeks instead of two." Hiram said as firmly as he could. "Get to work, Rachel."

Rachel nodded. That wasn't going on the right direction. She needed her dad to shorten her punishment to one week, not lengthen it to three weeks. She immediately sat down at the desk and started looking at the papers. "I'm sorry, daddy. I promise I will get all these papers sorted by the time we leave tonight."

Hiram walked away, refusing to look at his dispirited daughter. He couldn't believe he had had to scold his daughter once again. He didn't know how Shelby did it. He had a newfound respect for her. He hadn't had to be that stern and yet, his heart was breaking. He took a deep breath, getting his phone out of his pocket.

"_This is more difficult than I thought it would be, Lee. Our little girl looks so dejected." _Hiram texted his husband.

…

As the days went by, Rachel's mood got worse. She had learned her lesson and she had already promised her parents she wouldn't take their credit card again without permission. She didn't understand why she still wasn't allowed to go back to Glee Club.

"Eat your breakfast, Rach, you're going to be late for school." Shelby said.

"I'm not hungry." Rachel replied.

"You need to eat something." Shelby insisted.

"No, I don't. I don't care if I starve to death. Life is meaningless to me." Rachel answered dramatically.

Shelby sighed and then said, "Today's Monday. You only have five more days to go, Rach. I know how hard this has been for you, but this week will fly by, you'll see."

Rachel shook her head and pouted. "Mom, I promise I will never take anything without permission again and I will never lie to you. Please let me go back to Glee. It's been too long. What if they've realized they don't need me anymore?"

"You are a very important part of the club and I am sure they have all missed you and are also anxiously waiting for you to come back." Shelby assured. "But that won't be until next week."

"But mom …" Rachel started to say, but one look from Shelby was enough to make her accept her fate and simply pout. "I just hope they don't replace me."

"You won't be replaced, sweetie." Shelby stated, giving her daughter a soft kiss on the head. "Now, please have some breakfast. I cut your fruit just the way you like it."

…

"Don't tell me that chair will still be empty today. Where's Berry?" Santana asked. As much as she despised the petite brunette, she had to admit that Glee club was not the same without her.

"Apparently, one of her fathers still needs help around the office and Rachel offered to help him this week as well." Will explained.

"That does not sound like Rachel." Quinn said.

"What if she has decided to join that other club? What's its name?" Finn added.

"Rachel would never join Vocal Adrenaline." Will declared.

"We can't do this without Rachel." Kurt said.

"He is right." Puck added. "Rachel makes me want to light myself on fire, but she can sing."

"She is coming back next week, guys." Will promised.

"That's what she said last week and look, she's not here." Mercedes said.

"Come on, let's rehearse." Will instructed. He was just as worried as the members of the club, but he knew he couldn't make them see he wasn't in absolute control of the situation.

…

Rachel was walking towards her History class when a short blond woman in a mini skirt and high heels bumped into her. "I am so sorry, doll, my mind seems to be elsewhere."

"Uh, it's okay." Rachel replied, staring at the woman in front of her.

"I just hadn't been here in so long! It feels good to be back!" April said.

"Are you a teacher?" Rachel wondered. If that woman in front of her was a teacher, Rachel hoped she wasn't in her class.

"Me? A teacher? Oh no, sweetie, I am a student. I'm a senior." April explained. "I am back to complete the three credits I didn't complete fifteen years ago. My boss told me, 'April, if you don't have a High School diploma, I will have to fire you', so here I am."

Rachel nodded, pretending to be interested in what April was saying. "Well, I have to go to class. Good luck."

"Thank you, doll." April replied, rushing up the stairs to find her classroom and running into Will in the middle of the staircase. "Hello, handsome."

"April? Is that you? April Rhodes?" Will asked surprised. He had had a crush on her when they were both in High School, but she never noticed him.

April nodded, unsure of whom the handsome man in front of her was. "Yes, it's me April, handsome. What's your name?"

"Uh … Will. Will Schuester, you don't remember me?" Will asked, disappointed.

"No. But I don't remember breakfast." April admitted.

"You were a senior when I was a freshman here." Will said. "What happened to you, April? In High School you were really going places. You had a voice like a dream. Everyone loved you."

"Oh, I hitched my star to the wrong wagon. Me and my High School sweetheart Vinnie were convinced we were going to be stars so we dropped out of school and hitchhiked our way to Broadway." April explained. "We ended up in Cleveland slinging hash at Ralph's Bait Shop and Waffle House. Then Ralph had an affair with Vinnie. I had a set of mixed-race twins. And those were the good times."

"I am so sorry." Will replied.

"Oh don't worry, handsome, I am trying to get my life back on track. Actually, I have a class in five minutes. Spanish with Mr. William Schuester." April said. "Hey, that's you!"

"You're enrolled as a student here?" Will asked with a smile on his face. He suddenly had a bright idea. "Welcome back to McKinley. I know you're an amazing singer. I want you to be in the Glee Club."

…

"Guys, I'd like to introduce you to someone very special. This is April Rhodes. She's our newest member." Will announced.

Just as Will spoke those words, Rachel gasped. She was getting some books from her locker next to the choir room as she tried to listen to practice. She felt her heart contract as the sting of tears burned her eyes. That woman was the one who was going to replace her. Her mother had lied to her. She couldn't listen to practice any longer. The only thing she wanted was to go home and cry.

Rachel rushed to the exit and bumped into Leroy, who was waiting for her by the main door. "Peanut, wait, where's the fire?"

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hiram is stuck in a meeting and he asked me to come and get you." Leroy replied, hugging his daughter. "What's wrong, peanut? Why are you so sad?"

"Mom lied to me! I hate her!" Rachel exclaimed with anger.

"Don't say that about your mother. She loves you." Leroy said. He wasn't sure how to react or what to do.

"She lied! She lied!" Rachel repeated as her tears became more abundant.

"Let's walk to the car where we can talk about this calmly, peanut. What did she lie about?" Leroy asked, wanting to have some control over the situation.

Rachel shook her head and continued crying. She was too angry to talk. All she wanted to do was go home and confront her mother. "Please take me home, dad."

"You know I can't do that, Rach. I need to take you to daddy's office." Leroy explained.

"Please. I need to go home. Please" Rachel begged.

Leroy sighed and nodded. "How about if we go and have one of those froyo things you like, so you can calm down a little before you talk to your mom?"

Rachel shrugged. She didn't want any frozen yogurt and she didn't want to calm down. What she wanted was to speak to her mom.

Leroy drove to Elida Road and stopped at Rachel's favorite ice cream shop. He took out a ten dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to his daughter. "Here, Rach, you can have anything you want."

"Dad, I'm not in the mood for frozen yogurt right now. Why can't you take me home?" Rachel whined.

"I just …" Leroy started to say.

"Please, dad." Rachel pleaded.

Leroy didn't know what to do. His daughter looked extremely distressed and he had no idea how to handle it. He was very good at spoiling her and buying her anything she wanted, but he knew the only person who could truly get through to Rachel when she was troubled was Shelby.

"Okay, peanut, I'll drive you home." Leroy finally agreed. "I'll call daddy and I'll explain why you didn't show up today. I am sure he'll understand."

"Thank you so much, dad." Rachel said, half smiling.

…

Shelby was startled when she heard the door opening and her daughter stomping into the house. She was reading a book in the living room and was expecting to be alone for a few more hours. What was Rachel doing there so early when she was supposed to be at the office with Hiram?

"Rach, are you okay?" Shelby asked concerned. Her daughter being sick was the only explanation she could think of.

"You lied to me! You lied! You lied!" Rachel yelled as anger flowed through her veins.

Shelby turned to look at Leroy, who just shrugged and excused himself. "I'll leave you two alone."

As soon as Leroy left, Shelby turned to look at Rachel, as the words her daughter had just spoken started to sink in. She was confused by the glare Rachel was directing at her.

"How could you do that to me, mom? This is all your fault! You lied to me! You ruined my life!" Rachel accused as she clenched her fists and did her best not to cry. She knew she wouldn't be able to talk if she started crying again.

Shelby was not happy at the way her daughter was speaking to her, but after fourteen years, she knew that she needed to pick her battles and telling Rachel off would be counterproductive in that moment. She would say something if her daughter's tone got worse, but for the time being, she was more interested in knowing the origin of her daughter's accusations.

"Rach, let's sit down and we can talk." Shelby said, calmly.

"Why did you lie to me? You promised. You said I-I-I …" Rachel asked, wiping a few tears. "They don't need me anymore."

"Who doesn't need you anymore?" Shelby inquired, trying to hug her daughter, but as soon as she got close to Rachel, the teen moved away.

"I saw a woman and she said she was a senior and I thought she was a teacher, because she didn't look like a student, but she is his friend and now they don't need me." Rachel explained, glaring at Shelby. "And this is all your fault!"

"Slow down, honey. I don't understand." Shelby admitted.

"Mister Schuester has replaced me!" Rachel declared. "He replaced me! You promised he wouldn't!"

"That cannot be possible, sweetie. You have only missed one week of practice." Shelby said. "Why do you think he has replaced you?"

"I heard him, mom! He told the club he'd found a new member! It's that woman!" Rachel revealed. "That woman I saw today."

"What woman?" Shelby asked.

"Ugh, mom! I just told you about her! Are you deaf? Were you even listening to me?" Rachel sassed.

"Rachel, please watch your tone. I'm on your side here and I want to understand, but no matter how upset you are, you need to be respectful." Shelby chided.

"Respectfully, mom, you have ruined my life!" Rachel declared.

Shelby sighed. How many times had she told her mother the same thing growing up? Back then, she couldn't imagine how much those words hurt. "Okay, Rach, let's sit down on the couch and you can tell me what I did to ruin your life."

Rachel couldn't believe how calm her mother sounded. In that moment, she realized that Shelby was truly interested in her side of the story. She finally sat down and looked at her mother, who was ready to listen to her. "This morning you said I couldn't be replaced, but Mr. Schue has found a new member. She doesn't even look like a student, mom! She is old."

"How old is she? She cannot be that old if she's in High School." Shelby reasoned.

"Believe me, she's old. She's almost as old as you!" Rachel explained. "And Mr. Schuester has chosen that woman to take my place. I have been replaced!"

"Have you talked to him about this? Has he told you that she will take your place?" Shelby asked, choosing to ignore Rachel's comment about her age. If Rachel was right and that woman was almost as old as she was, she had no business being in Glee club.

"I don't need to talk to him, mom. I know I have been replaced." Rachel declared with a quiver in her voice. "Mom, you lied to me."

"Rachel, sweetie, you are very talented and Mr. Schuester knows that. I really don't think he would replace you only because you have missed a week of rehearsals." Shelby said. "He knows you are grounded and I am sure he understands the situation."

"He doesn't know I'm grounded." Rachel spoke in a low voice.

"What was that, Rach?" Shelby asked.

"He thinks I am just helping daddy around the office." Rachel admitted.

Shelby knew it wasn't the right moment to confront her daughter about what she had just admitted, so she tried a different approach. "That is a very noble act. You are sacrificing Glee club to help your father. I am sure Mr. Schuester wouldn't replace you after such kind actions, honey."

Rachel shrugged. She was very confused. "But what if he did?"

"Rach, he could never do that. He knows how talented you are. He knows how committed you are to that club. He knows he would lose any competition without you." Shelby explained, hugging her daughter.

The second Shelby put her arms around Rachel, the young girl started to cry. She couldn't hold her tears any longer, as she sobbed on her mother's shoulder. "I'm sorry, mom."

"What are you sorry for, sweetie?" Shelby asked kindly.

"I-I yelled." Rachel said between sobs.

"You are entitled to your feelings, Rach. And I can understand how you are feeling. I know you think I am very old. But believe it or not, I was your age once." Shelby said, kissing her daughter's head.

Rachel looked up at her mother with teary eyes. "Do you really think he hasn't replaced me?"

"I am positive." Shelby declared. "But if it makes you feel better, I could go and talk to him."

Rachel shook her head. "I'll talk to him tomorrow during rehearsal."

"Tomorrow?" Shelby asked. "You are still grounded, Rach. I can go and speak to him so you can be sure you haven't been replaced, but you still need to go to your father's office after school."

Rachel pouted. "Please, mom."

"I'm sorry, baby, but we said two weeks." Shelby said.

"Mom, please. I know what I did wrong. I won't ever take my dads' card without asking and I will never lie to you again. Please." Rachel pleaded.

Shelby shook her head and pouted along with Rachel. "I know you think I am just being mean, Rach, but I cannot give in. What you did was very serious and as we agreed, you will be grounded for two weeks. Only four days more."

Rachel sighed and nodded. She was tired of crying and she didn't want to fight with her mom. She was in Shelby's arms and that is where she wanted to stay for a while. "I just hope I am allowed to come back."

…

The next couple of days were very difficult for Rachel. She could see every member of the Glee Club bonding with April as she felt lonelier than ever. She had had a chance to speak to Will and he had assured her that she could never be replaced, but she still wasn't feeling that confident.

On Thursday morning, Rachel was feeling particularly downhearted, because the club would be performing in the auditorium that afternoon in front of the whole school and she wasn't going to be there to showcase her talent. She couldn't believe her reasoning and pout hadn't worked on her father.

"Why can't you join us this afternoon, Rachel?" Finn asked. "You are much better than that new member, April something."

"I've told you, Finn, my dad needs me at the office." Rachel replied.

"Can't you perform and then meet him there?" Finn insisted.

Rachel sighed. "I can't and please don't ask me again."

Finn just stared at Rachel as she walked away. He was very confused. Rachel loved Glee Club, but she had been very distant lately. He really cared about the petite brunette, and he couldn't understand what was going on.

…

"I'm so sorry, doll. I didn't see you there." April said, bumping into Rachel in the hallway for the second time in a week, as Rachel was making her way to the parking lot. She had wanted to leave a little early that day, so she wouldn't have to see everyone singing in the auditorium. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle that.

"Are you drunk?" Rachel asked in shock. She could smell the alcohol in April's breath.

"Of course not!" April replied, giggling. "Okay, maybe just a little."

Rachel shook her head. She couldn't believe Mr. Schuester had chosen that woman to take her place. "You are not seriously thinking about going up on the stage like that, right?"

"Why not, doll? This is showbiz. Everyone drinks!" April announced.

"In High School, we don't." Rachel replied, as Will approached them. "Mr. Schue, you cannot let her perform in her condition."

"There is an auditorium full of people waiting to see us perform and if she doesn't go on, none of your fellow club members will be able to perform." Will explained.

"She is inebriated." Rachel stated. "You might not care about our club, but I do, and I won't let her ruin this performance. Tell everyone I will meet them at the auditorium in five minutes. I just need to get changed."

"Rachel, wait …" Mr. Schuester started to say, but the petite diva was gone before he could even utter another word. He then looked at April. "I'm sorry, April."

"Oh sugar, I don't belong up there." April said. "They're so lucky to have you, Will, because you won't let what happened to me ever happen to any of them."

"So, where are you going to go?" Will asked.

"I'm going to straighten up. Maybe try to find a new dream." April replied. "My boss wanted me to go back to High School, but this place is not for me."

Will nodded as he smiled at April. "It was great to see you again. Good luck!"

April hugged Will and then turned around and left.

"Hey, Mr. Schuester, are you ready?" Rachel asked, dressed in black pants and a blue shirt. "Kurt told me this was the outfit you had chosen."

"Welcome back, Rachel!" Will said, smiling.

Rachel rushed to the stage and smiled at everyone. "Shall we?"

_Can anybody find me somebody to love? _

_Each morning I get up I die a little _

_Can barely stand on my feet _

_Take a look in the mirror and cry _

_Lord what you're doing to me _

_I have spent all my years in believing you _

_But I just can't get no relief, Lord! _

_Somebody, somebody _

_Can anybody find me somebody to love?_

Hiram looked at his watch and sighed. Rachel was already ten minutes late. He hadn't had any problems with Rachel being on time for almost two weeks, so he was wondering why his daughter wasn't there to meet him this time. He glanced at his watch again and decided to walk into the school and look for Rachel. He was walking past the auditorium when he heard his daughter's angelic voice. He shook his head, as he opened the door, ready to tell Rachel she still wasn't allowed to go to Glee Club, but all his anger vanished as soon as he saw how happy his daughter looked on stage.

_I'm ok, I'm alright _

_Ain't gonna face no defeat _

_I just gotta get out of this prison cell _

_Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord! _

_Find me somebody to love _

_Can anybody find me somebody to love?_

As soon as the song was finished, Hiram clapped as loud as he could, as he felt a tear rolling down his cheek. He was so proud of his little girl. She looked so happy on stage. That was where she belonged.

Rachel noticed Hiram watching her and gave him a nervous smile. She took a bow and then ran off the stage.

"Daddy! I had to do it!" Rachel explained.

"I know, princess. You were perfect up there. I am so proud!" Hiram replied. "You belong on that stage."

"So you're not mad?" Rachel asked.

"How can I be mad? You looked so happy, you looked radiant up on the stage." Hiram said. "And I know you have learned your lesson. You made me cry, you were so wonderful."

Rachel beamed with pride. "Thank you, daddy."

"I love you, princess." Hiram said, hugging his daughter.

"What are we going to tell mom, though?" Rachel inquired in a worried tone.

"The truth. She will understand. Do you think this was only hard on you, kid?" Hiram asked. "We all suffered along with you."

Rachel gave him an unsure look. She wasn't so sure her parents had suffered as much as she had. "This means I can go back to Glee Club tomorrow, right?"

"No, Rachel, not tomorrow." Hiram said, receiving a glare from his daughter.

"But …" Rachel protested.

"Tomorrow is Friday, Rach, and there is no Glee Club." Hiram told her, chuckling at his daughter's reaction.

"Oh right." Rachel blushed. "Can I go back and hang out with the club today? Mr. Schuester desperately needs me. Did you see how messy that choreography was?"

Hiram smiled widely and nodded. "I'll wait for you in the car. Take your time, princess."

"Thank you!" Rachel said, giving her daddy another hug and running to join the club. "Okay, fellow Glee Club members, this is what we can do to improve that performance…"


End file.
